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Dáil
‹ An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

Shannon LNG and fracked gas

Summary

Deputy Smith questioned the Government’s position on LNG import terminals and imported fracked gas, particularly Shannon LNG. The Taoiseach said the Government did not support the project or State backing for it and pointed to the new climate legislation.

The programme for Government states the Government does believe it makes sense to develop liquefied natural gas, LNG, import terminals importing fracked gas, in light of Ireland's net zero targets. That is the formal Government position but the position on imported fracked gas and LNG is still confusing. The Shannon LNG project remains on the EU's list of projects of common interest, PCI. The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, has stated there will be a separate policy statement on this but it is not clear, given that it remains on the PCI list, whether this confers on the Shannon LNG project special privileges for the company proposing the project, particularly since it has indicated publicly that it intends to file fresh planning documents.

Comment on this

The Government's position on that has been very clear. It does not favour its continuation or any State support for its continuation. The Government yesterday published the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill, which is probably one of the most far-reaching in Europe in terms of legislating for climate change and dealing with the challenge.

On the LNG issue, since the mid-2000s various applications have been made in respect of that proposal, none of which has come to fruition to date. I am not clear on the status of the current application, but suffice to say, our future is not in fossil fuels. Our future is in renewables, energy efficiency and a whole new green economy that will emerge from that. That is where Government investment will go.

It will go into the national retrofit programme and offshore wind. Wind energy will make up as much as 70% of our electricity supply.

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