Leaving a reserve of gas at Corrib gas field off the coast of Mayo for use in emergency circumstances has been proposed in a review of Ireland’s energy security.
The State review suggests the operators of the gas field could be paid to leave a certain volume of gas in the ground, according to a report in the Sunday Business Post, instead of running the field dry this decade.
It comes as Ireland’s power system is expected to return to a near-complete reliance on gas imports by the end of the decade as Corrib gas runs out.
The review also proposes the establishment of significant gas storage in Ireland, likely at the depleted Kinsale gas field which was decommissioned last year, where gas could be imported and pumped underground into the natural caverns.
A state-owned “non-commercial” LNG terminal is also suggested for the purpose of supplying gas backup to existing supply infrastructure.
The review, carried out by the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, was first commissioned in 2019 by then-minister Richard Bruton to assess the security of Ireland’s gas and electricity systems. It will ultimately dictate the Government’s final policy on LNG terminals.
