THE NORTH Mayo community group Pobal Chill Chomáin has requested an urgent meeting with Minister for Energy Pat Rabbitte following his comments about the Corrib gas project this week.
The community group, formed in 2009 to seek a compromise on the Corrib gas terminal location, said it was concerned that Mr Rabbitte had not been fully informed on aspects of the community’s stance on the project. Its chairman, Vincent McGrath, said the Minister’s comments could be perceived as prejudicial to two judicial reviews relating to permission for the Corrib gas pipeline, due to be heard in the Commercial Court on October 4th.
Outlining his energy policy for the first time this week, Mr Rabbitte said a record number of 15 applications had been made by exploration companies for licences on the Atlantic margin. He said the recent increased price of gas was an argument for proceeding with the Corrib project as soon as possible. “Most people who were concerned about safety acknowledge that everything that is humanly possible has been done on the safety front, and the people who were concerned about safety deserved support,” he told RTÉ.
“Unfortunately the protests have now passed on to people who – you know – it’s no longer a case of Shell to Sea, it’s Shell out of Ireland, and that’s not in Ireland’s national interest, in our strategic interest, at this time.”
Meanwhile, an artists’ group which lodged an application for offshore oil and gas blocks on behalf of the Irish people has said it would be “very disappointed” if the Minister refused its submission. Colum Stapleton, a film maker and major shareholder of Gazillion Ltd, lodged an application with a cheque for €1,520 for five named blocks on the Atlantic margin. He said he understood the deadline was close of business on May 31st. The Department of Energy’s petroleum affairs division said any application received after a noon deadline on May 31st would be “returned unopened”.
