Approval given to Corrib gas field

The Corrib gas field, some 70km off the Mayo coast, has been formally approved by Enterprise Energy and its partners Statoil and Marathon Petroleum.

It is hoped to bring the gas to the marketplace within two years, by which time Ireland's existing store of gas from the Kinsale field will be seriously depleted.

However, the project has been threatened by a row between local people in Mayo and Enterprise over the route of the 7km pipeline.

The company is refusing to specify its preferred route through the village of Rossport to the terminal building.

Fishermen and locals living near the proposed terminal building are also concerned about emissions from the building and the outfall pipe into the sea.