The Environmental Protection Agenct (EPA) have granted Shell an Industrial Emissions Licence, leaving it in the hands now of Minister White to allow gas production to go ahead at the Corrib gas field.
This is probably the most significant piece of energy infrastructure in Ireland's history with potential to provide up to 60% of our gas needs at peak production. This will mean less reliance on UK, Norway and Dutch gas.
There will be 50MW of gas turbines on site to compress the gas for export to the gas distribution network.
From reading the 12 conditions attached to the licence, it appears that most of the local and environmental concerns have been mitigated to some extent.
One can see the value of its product from the very fact that it never attracted a subsidized price, unlike wind. It will fight it out in the tough electricity (and energy) markets, after capital investments of over a billion euros in the plant, without any subsidy or guaranteed price.
