History of the Corrib Project (1)
The Corrib Field was discovered off the west coast of Ireland in 1996. Approximately 70% of the size of the Kinsale Head field, it has an estimated producing life of just over 15 years.
The Corrib Project is being developed by Shell Exploration & Production Ireland Limited (then Enterprise Energy Ireland Limited) (“SEPIL”), Statoil Exploration (Ireland) Limited and Marathon International Petroleum Hibernia Limited (the “Corrib Developers”). SEPIL will act as Operator of the Corrib field.
Original Permissions
In 2001 the Corrib Developers sought a number of consents and approvals to develop the Corrib Project. These included:
An application to the Minister for a Petroleum Lease pursuant to section 13 of the Petroleum and Other Minerals Development Act 1960, as amended (“POMD Act”). On 15 November 2001 the Minister and the Minister for Finance granted the Petroleum Lease to the Corrib Developers .
An application to the (then) Minister for Marine and Natural Resources (the “Minister”) for consent to construct a pipeline pursuant to section 40 of the Gas Act 1976, as amended (“Pipeline Authorisation”). The application was accompanied by an Environmental Impact Statement. On the 15 April 2002 The Minister granted the Pipeline Authorisation to the Corrib Developers.
An application to the Minister for a consent under section 5 of the Continental Shelf Act 1968, as amended (“Continental Shelf Act Authorisation”). On 15 April 2002 the Continental Shelf Act Authorisation was granted to the Corrib Developers by the Minister .
An application to the Minister for a Foreshore licence under section 3 of the Foreshore Act 1933, as amended (“Foreshore Licence”). The application was accompanied by an Environmental Impact Statement. On 17 May 2002 the Foreshore Licence was granted to the Corrib Developers by the Minister.
Planning permission for the onshore terminal, accompanied by an Environmental Impact Statement, was sought from the Local Authority in April 2001, and its Decision to Grant permission was subsequently appealed to An Bord Pleanála. The Bord refused the application on the basis of issues around the stability of large amounts of peat stored on site. On 22 October 2004 Planning Permission was granted by An Bord Pleanála, in response to a subsequent application, for the gas terminal and associated peat deposition site subject to 42 conditions.
An application was also made for an Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Licence (“IPPC Licence”). IPPC Licences are required for certain industrial installations such as the one proposed by the Corrib Developers to ensure that it is properly designed and will be operated with due regard for the environment, with particular controls over emissions to air, water and land. IPPC Licences are issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) under the Environmental Protection Agency Act,1992, as amended by the Protection of the Environment Act 2003 which gave effect to the Integrated Pollution Prevention Control (IPPC) Directive. The EPA granted the IPPC Licence in November 2007.
Consents to Undertake Works
An application was submitted to the Minister on 21 November 2001 for approval of a draft Plan of Development pursuant to the POMD Act and Petroleum Lease. The application was accompanied by an Environmental Impact Statement. The Plan of Development set out the basis for the project, the reasons behind the selection of the appropriate development option, and a comprehensive and technical outline of the project and how it would operate. The Plan of Development is a large and technically complex account of the entirety of the project, how it interacts with other entities, and the precise technical details of its operation. On 15 April 2002 the Minister granted consent to the Plan of Development
The Petroleum Lease and the Approval of the Plan of Development each require the Corrib Developers to comply with the Rules and Procedures for Offshore Petroleum Production (“Rules and Procedures Manual”) published by the Petroleum Affairs Division of the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. The Rules and Procedures Manual requires the Corrib Developers to obtain consent to undertake works under the Petroleum Lease. For a description of the 7 separate Phases of the Corrib Project provided by SEPIL, please click here.
SEPIL, as operator, applied for consents to undertake certain works associated with various Phases of the Project and in July 2002 a number of consents were issued to commence work in relation to Phases 1 and 2 of the Corrib Project, as well as certain preparatory works associated with Phase 3. Further consents were granted in 2005 in relation to works associated with Phases 3, 4 and 6 and in 2008 in relation to works associated with Phases 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7.
Community Concerns
Following concerns expressed by members of the community in the area in which the project is located in mid 2005, the Corrib Developers agreed to suspend works, pending the outcome of an independent safety review. This review, was awarded to Advantica, following a tender competition and was published on the 3rd of May 2006 following two separate rounds of public consultation in the area. The review concluded that “there will be a substantial safety margin in the pipeline design … and that the pipeline design and proposed route should be accepted as meeting or exceeding international standards in terms of acceptability of risk”, provided that certain recommendations were followed.(The pipeline will operate at a pressure level significantly lower than its design pressure level)
In the meantime, a mediator (Mr. Peter Cassells) appointed by the Minister had engaged in a 7 month period of consultation with the community in the region and SEPIL. While unable to reach an agreement between the parties, he did make a series of recommendations on the issues. One of these recommendations was “that Shell modify the route of the pipeline in the vicinity of Rossport to address community concerns regarding proximity to housing”.
The Corrib Developers agreed to do so and following a route selection process involving several months of public consultation, a proposed new route was selected by the Corrib Developers for the gas pipeline between landfall and the terminal and, as a consequence, an application for a new Pipeline Authorisation and an amended Plan of Development, each of which was accompanied by an Environmental Impact Statement, were submitted to the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. An application for strategic gas infrastructure consent was also submitted to An Bord Pleanála, under the Planning and Development Acts 2000 to 2007.
A decision on each of these will be taken in the coming months. Throughout this process, the existing consents held by the Corrib Developers remain valid in accordance with their terms.
Current Process
SEPIL’s decision to modify the route of the pipeline between landfall and the terminal has resulted in or is expected to result in further applications to the:
- Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources:
- for a new Pipeline Authorisation in respect of the new pipeline route, accompanied by an Environment Impact Statement;
- for an amendment to the Plan of Development, accompanied by an Environment Impact Statement;
SEPILS’s decision to modify the route of the pipeline has also resulted in an application to An Bord Pleanála under Section 182C of the Planning and Development Acts, 2000 to 2007 (as inserted by the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act, 2006), accompanied by an Environment Impact Statement. The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources is a statutory consultee under this process.
Applications for Compulsory Acquisitions Orders relating to the Corrib pipeline application have also been made under this process.
All existing planning permissions issued by An Bord Pleanála in respect of the Corrib Gas Field Development can be viewed on An Bord Pleanála's website.
- Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food - Foreshore Licence
It is expected that an application, accompanied by an Environment Impact Statement, will be made to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for a new or amended Foreshore Licence.
Under Section 40A(4) of the Gas Acts (inserted pursuant to Article 20 of the European Communities (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 1989 (SI 349 of 1989) an applicant is required to furnish copies of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to the prescribed bodies for comment within a period of one month. These prescribed bodies include the (now) Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government (DEHLG)
The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources consulted with DEHLG prior to granting consent to SEPIL by letter dated 27th June 2008 to undertake current offshore pipelaying works as part of the Phase 4 activities under the Corrib Developers’ existing consents.
Views of DEHLG are considered by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in the exercise of their respective statutory functions. Recommendations made by DEHLG may form conditions of any consent which may be issued by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources or by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
SEPIL applied for consent to commence works associated with the offshore section of the pipeline up to the shore valve assembly in January 2008 under the terms of their existing consents. The Corrib Developers also submitted a revised Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for the works to take place under their existing consents. In examining this EMP, both the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food consulted with the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government, including for the purpose of ensuring that the EMP complied with both the Habitat Directive and the Birds Directive. Following the receipt of this advice, consent for works were granted in June 2008.
Environmental Monitoring Group Meetings
Meeting Reports of the Environmental Monitoring Group (EMG)
Meeting Reports
SEPIL Weekly Progress Reports
SEPIL Weekly Progress Reports to the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Weekly Progress Reports
Technical Advisory Group (TAG)/Advantica
For further information on the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) , please click here
MLVC Report
View the report by the Marine Licence Vetting Committee (MLVC) on the environmental aspects of the proposed Corrib Gas Field development.
WinZip 369KB PDF 1.42MB Word 1.63MB
Quantified Risk Assessment (QRA) Documents
Publication of Quantified Risk Assessment (QRA) documents in relation to the Corrib Gas Field Development – Onshore Pipeline
Quantified Risk Assessment Documents
Submissions Received in relation to the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) submitted by SEPIL in relation to the Section 40A Consent to Construct Application
Below is a link to a list of submissions that were received by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources on foot of the public consultation on the Environmental Impact Statement, submitted under Section 40A of the Gas Act 1976, as amended, by SEPIL.
Submissions Received
Submissions Received in relation to the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) submitted by SEPIL in relation to the Revised Plan of Development application
Below is a link to a list of submissions that were received by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resouces on foot of the public consultation on the application for revision to the approved Plan of Development, submitted under the POMD and Petroleum Lease by SEPIL.
Submissions Received
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