Health and safety concerns: Local residents were concerned that the proposed gas pipeline ran too close to the local community and so posed a significant health and safety risk. They were also concerned that processing the raw natural gas on land rather than at sea posed too great a risk. They wanted the pipe rerouted and the gas to be refined at sea.
zz 1. When was the Corrib Gas Field first discovered?
2. Name one environmental concern and one social concern that locals had regarding the gas field.
3. Do you think these concerns were understandable, or do you think they caused unnecessary delay to the project? Give two reasons in support of your opinion.
4. Looking at figure 4, what do you think is meant by the protest sign on the right of the image?
Water supply concerns: The location of the onshore processing facility on former forestry land caused concern regarding the local water supply.
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Damage to wildlife: Environmentalists feared potential damage to wildlife and marine life from the exploration.
Five local men were jailed for ninety-four days in 2005 for defying a court order not to protest over the Shell project.
The route of the pipeline was finally agreed in 2011. To address the concerns of the people, the Department of Energy and Natural Resources has ordered Shell to provide regular updates on any potential environmental concerns that may arise. At peak production, the Corrib Gas Field has the potential to meet up to 60% of Ireland’s gas needs and is expected to have a twenty-year supply.
