Decision on Shannon LNG deferred until September

An Bord Pleanála has confirmed that it has postponed its decision on the 500MW Gas fired power station and LNG terminal until September 9th. The decision was originally intended to be made on March 7th but it has deferred the decision citing the “complex nature” of the proposed development.

People Before Profit spokesperson Ruairí Fahy said “The investors in this project likely see it as a prospect that will pay out for 30 years or more. Instead of just delaying the project it should just be denied instead of locking us into using fossil fuels long past the point we have agreed to decarbonise.

“A similar development to this was denied permission in New York as the company couldn’t prove that their plan to transition to burning hydrogen was viable without also releasing huge amounts of CO2 in the process of converting fracked gas into hydrogen.

“With gas supplies threatened due to the war in Ukraine it’s not the time to call for opening up our shores to fracked gas, which by some measures has a higher carbon footprint than even coal, but instead it’s time for us to look at a rapid transition to renewable energy. A denial of this plan could be a chance to use this site as a hub for creating well paid, stable green jobs through the production of materials needed to not only replace fossil fuels but also to reduce our energy consumption.”