At peak production, the Corrib natural gas project in Ireland will provide up to 60% of the country’s natural gas needs, reducing the country’s dependence on imports. The Shell-operated project will bring natural gas from wells 80km off the west coast onshore in County Mayo to be processed and fed into the national gas grid. In 2008, the project’s construction activities moved ahead. By the end of the year, five offshore wells had been finished. The onshore gas terminal was more than two-thirds completed. We continued to consult with local communities to increase understanding of the project, address as many of the remaining concerns as we can and develop ways for a wider range of people in the community to benefit from the project.
The process of approving a new route for the onshore pipeline is an important example. The route was changed to address stakeholder concerns that the original was very close to several houses. After community consultations, land surveys, technical assessments, and environmental assessments, a new route was chosen that would double the distance to 140 metres between the pipeline and occupied nearby houses. The formal planning review for the new route is underway. The process allows all interested parties, including any members of the community still opposed to the route, to participate and be heard.
In response to another local safety concern, we have limited the maximum allowable pressure for the onshore pipeline to less than half of what had been originally agreed in the permits.
The local economy is benefiting from the project. At year-end 2008, over 900 people, almost half from County Mayo, were working on the gas terminal site. Twelve local towns are being connected to the natural gas grid for the first time. In early 2009, the project launched the Corrib Natural Gas Erris Development Fund to support community- based social investment activities over the life of the Corrib operation.
