SHANNON LNG IS A HUGE PROCESSING PLANT FOR IMPORTED FRACKED GAS PLANNED FOR SHANNON ESTUARY
What is the project?
If Shannon LNG was built it would be one of the biggest fracked gas terminals in Europe and open until 2050 – locking us into climate-polluting fossil fuels for decades. LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) will be shipped in giant tankers from the US and re-gasified here. 50% will be piped to Europe.
The project is currently stalled due to a legal case taken by Friends of the Irish Environment which will be heard in the European Courts of Justice sometime in 2020. Stay tuned to our social media for the latest updates.
What impacts would it have?
Climate Change:
We only have 12 years left to avoid the deadliest impacts of climate change according to the IPCC – the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Shannon LNG would lock us into 30 years of dependence on an even more damaging fossil fuel than coal. Studies led by NASA have confirmed that the US fracked gas industry is responsible for the huge rise in global methane emissions over the past decade. Fracked gas is mostly composed of methane – and methane traps at least 86 times more heat than carbon during its first 20 years, making it a much more potent greenhouse gas.
Dolphins and other wildlife:
The Shannon Estuary is the only Special Area of Conservation for dolphins in Ireland and an EU designated Special Protection Area (SPA). The Shannon Estuary is one of the most important sites for whales, dolphins, and porpoises in Ireland. It is the home of our only known resident group of bottlenose dolphins and a known calving area. The site is a hugely important coastal wetland area and is home to over twenty species of wetland and waterbirds.
Fracking:
We banned fracking because of the harm it causes – significant health problems for local communities including cancer and premature death, earth tremors and the pollution of air, soil, and water. By importing fracked gas we would be inflicting that harm on indigenous and marginalised communities in the US.
European Union and America:
Europe already has many LNG terminals but they are currently only operating at 23% capacity. Why build more? Because energy is power. Thanks to the fracked gas industry, the US is now the world’s leading source of fossil fuels. During trade negotiations with the EU in 2018, US president Trump called for the opening of even more LNG terminals in Europe. America is building a European market for its gas and the Shannon Estuary is strategically important. Do we want to be part of this?
We don’t even need it
According to a recent academic review, we can transition cleanly without fracked shale gas imports. Lead author Professor Barry McMullin of the School of Electronic Engineering of DCU said: “Based on Ireland’s large natural resource of renewable energy coupled with the use of large-scale energy storage, rapid fossil fuel phase-out is not only technically feasible but can progressively eliminate the security-of-supply risks associated with all imported fossil fuels“. Other countries are leading the way. Sweden plans to run entirely on renewable energy by 2040, while Denmark is already at 140% electricity from wind power. Meanwhile, from 2020, Ireland faces fines of €455million for missing Paris Climate Accord targets.
