Shell E&P Ireland faces protests when it attempts to resume construction work at the Corrib gas refinery at Bellanaboy next month.
The Shell to Sea campaign has pledged to continue its pickets at the terminal site, which have been maintained since last year, and has described as "arrogant" the company's decision to resume work before securing any agreed change to its pipeline route.
The company repeated advertisements in the Mayo press this week announcing its intentions in relation to Bellanaboy, where work had been suspended since last year. It has said its initial focus is on environmental works in relation to the water treatment unit on site.
Last week the company accepted the recommendation by Government mediator Peter Cassells to seek modifications to the onshore pipeline's route in the vicinity of Rossport, and also said it wished to "review" its legal position in relation to ongoing High Court injunction proceedings.
Dr Mark Garavan of the Shell to Sea campaign said that the response locally among objectors to the pipeline was that the modification announcement was a "ploy", given the difficulty of finding an acceptable alternative route to the terminal. Shell to Sea maintains that the terminal must be moved offshore, which would then rule out the need for a high-pressure onshore pipeline.
"If the company had been genuine about a route change, it would not also have announced that it was resuming work at the terminal," he said. Dr Garavan said the company was also "anxious to get out of court" given the recent ruling by Ms Justice Mary Laffoy in relation to discovery of documents - including the project's plan of development signed off by former marine minister Frank Fahey before the 2002 general election.
However, Shell has indicated that it cannot withdraw from its High Court action unilaterally. Ms Brid McGarry, the largest landowner on the existing pipeline route and a counter-claimant, said yesterday that she and fellow landowner Brendan Philbin intended to maintain their legal action.
A spokeswoman for Shell E&P Ireland said the company could not comment on any protests. However, the company maintained that work at the terminal site and the pipeline were "separate". "We suspended work at Bellanaboy last summer to allow for a period of dialogue, and we now need to get back on site before the rains come in relation to the water treatment plant," she said.
The Shell to Sea campaign is continuing its walk from Mayo to Dublin, and hosted a public meeting in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, last night. The walkers are due at the Liffey Valley centre in west Dublin on August 12th.
