A new Plan of Development is now required

April 19, 2007 at 1:22 pm | Posted in Statements | Leave a comment

Following yesterday’s developments in the High Court whereby Shell’s Compulsory Acquisition Orders against certain landowners in Rossport were vacated it is now clear that a new pipeline route must be found by the company. This means that Shell’s development model for the Corrib gas project has been materially altered and this requires, under the terms of the 1992 Licensing Terms, a new Plan of Development governing the project.

 

The existing Plan of Development agreed between the government and Shell is now invalid and a new Plan must be submitted and agreed. A new Plan of Development must be approved by the Minister of the Marine. Any costs incurred by Shell under the old Plan are entirely their own liability as they chose willingly to proceed in advance of, and in the absence of, all of the necessary consents.

 

There is thus now an important opportunity for the Minister to intervene and reconfigure the Corrib gas project by insisting on a new Plan of Development that is, for the first time, the product of agreement between the developer and the local community. We have proposed that the best method for achieving this is through an independent commission which will determine the optimum development concept based on the twin criteria of best available technology and community consent.

 

We call on the Minister to finally exercise his responsibility and set aside the existing Plan and seize an opportunity to finally resolve the ongoing Corrib gas conflict.

 

Dr Jerry Cowley

Dr Mark Garavan

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