Green Party branch calls for relocation of Corrib terminal

THE GREEN Party’s Mayo branch has passed a motion supporting relocation of the Corrib gas terminal.

The constituency branch of the party says the “only way to resolve the Corrib gas issue” is to move the terminal or refinery from Bellanaboy to another location, as proposed by members of the Kilcommon parish community in recent weeks.

The compromise proposal made last month by community members received the backing of Fine Gael TD Michael Ring, Labour Party president Michael D Higgins and the Bishop of Killala, Dr John Fleming, among others.

However, it was rejected by Shell EP Ireland, which said construction at Bellanaboy was 30 per cent complete. To date, Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan has made no comment on the proposal.

The Mayo Greens say they are urging both Shell and Statoil to “consider this proposal seriously as the will of the community”.

The branch recommends that a search for an alternative location be carried out by an independent body, representing the interests of local communities, the Government and the energy companies involved.

If the project continues to develop at Bellanaboy, it will be “delayed by many years because of legal proceedings around the State’s failure to address concerns about water safety and other environmental matters”, the constituency branch states.

The refinery site lies within three water catchments, including a public drinking water supply for some 10,000 people at Carrowmore lake.

“At no stage were alternative sites to Bellanaboy examined. However, sub-sea tie-back technology is now such that landfall for the offshore gas could be made almost anywhere on the Mayo coast,” it says.

The Bellanaboy location could be modified to become a research centre for clean, renewable energy and other sustainable development, thus ensuring that work on the site to date has not been wasted, the branch states.