Corrib gas project

The Corrib gas project is a developed natural gas deposit located in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 83 km off the northwest coast of County Mayo, Ireland. The project includes a natural gas pipeline and an onshore gas processing plant, which commenced gas production in 2015. During its development, the project attracted considerable opposition.

The Corrib field is Ireland's only domestic source of natural gas production.[2]

History

The deepwater exploration licence No. 2/93 covering four blocks in the Slyne Trough was granted on 1 January 1993 for a period of 11 years to Enterprise Oil and its partners Saga Petroleum Ireland Limited, Statoil Exploration (Ireland) Limited, and Marathon International Petroleum Hibernia Limited. The licence was issued under the licensing terms for offshore oil and gas exploration and development 1992.[3] The Corrib

Development

Royal Dutch Shell proposed to develop the Corrib field as a sub-sea production facility with onshore processing. The project included development of offshore installations, including the wells and subsea facilities, construction of offshore and onshore pipelines, and construction of onshore processing plant at Bellanaboy.[6]

Gas field

The Corrib gas field is located about 83 km off Erris Head in County Mayo, in an area known as the Slyne Trough in water depths of 355 m.[12] Reserves in the field are believed to be about 1 Tcuft, 70% of the volume of the Kinsale field.[6] The gas originates from a Triassic Sandstone reservoir 3000 m below the seabed.[6][12] The natural gas in the Corrib Gas Field is a very pure form of gas, consisting of approximately 97% methane and ethane.[13] The Corrib gas does not contain hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide makes up only 0.3% of the total amount of gas. [14] There are five production wells at the Corrib field, drilled by Transocean Sedco 711 semi-submersible drilling rig. Each well has a "christmas tree" structure above it that contains the control and monitoring equipment. This subsea production system was constructed by Vetco, the offshore drilling and production supplier. Flexible individual flowlines will run from each well to a production manifold which will feed the gas into the main pipeline.[14] There is no production platform installed in the field.[6] Production at the gas field is remotely controlled from the Bellanaboy Bridge terminal.

Corrib Gas is expected to run out in 2026 or 2027 as its production peaked before 2020.[15]

Pipeline

The pipeline from the Corrib field to the landfall at Glengad is approximately 90 km in length.[12] The pipeline has a diameter of 20 in and it operates at pressures of 120 –.[14] Work on the offshore section took place in summer 2009 and involved over 7,000 lengths of pipe being welded together on board the Solitaire pipelaying vessel.[16][17] The onshore pipeline is 9 km in length and runs from landfall to the processing plant.

Processing plant

Gas is processed at the processing plant inland, near Bellanaboy Bridge. The purpose of the plant is to dry the gas and remove impurities. The plant has a capacity of 10 million standard cubic metres of purified gas per day. Processed gas is fed to the Bord Gáis gas grid.[12] The piping for the onshore processing plant was manufactured by Phoenix Pipes Limited in Slane, County Meath.

Controversy

Some opponents of the scheme cited concerns about the health, safety and environmental impact of the onshore aspects of the project. Others were concerned with alleged irregularities and precedents surrounding the project. Many groups, most notably the Rossport Five and Shell to Sea campaigns, opposed the current plans for the project, which they regarded as dangerous despite assurances from Shell.[18] A contrary position is taken by the group Pro Gas Mayo.[19]

A film about the project, The Pipe, was released on 8 July 2010 at the Galway Film Festival.[20]

Safety and environmental concerns

Pipeline route

The upstream high pressure gas pipeline connecting the wells to the inland processing site runs through the area of Rossport, close to local residences. A report by Dr. Richard Kupriewicz concluded that "the terrain makes escape routes for the clustered population essentially impossible in the event of a [pipeline] rupture".[21]

Discharges from drying process

Broadhaven Bay is the proposed area to discharge waste from the refining process[22]

Pipeline route

Discharges from drying process

Broadhaven Bay is the proposed area to discharge waste from the refining process[22]

Planning problems

Planning permission was initially refused by the board of An Bord Pleanála (the Irish planning authority). Senior planning inspector Kevin Moore's report stated in part: "It is my submission that the proposed development of a large gas processing terminal at this rural, scenic, and unserviced area on a bogland hill some 8 kilometres inland from the Mayo coastland landfall location, with all its site development works difficulties, public safety concerns, adverse visual, ecological, and traffic impacts, and a range of other significant environmental impacts, defies any rational understanding of the term 'sustainability'."

In November 2009, An Bord Pleanála ordered Shell to redesign the pipeline and move its route away from homes saying it posed an "unacceptable risk".[23]

country	Ireland
region	Slyne Trough basin
location	west of the Mullet Peninsula, County Mayo
block	18/20; 18/25
offonshore	offshore
operator	Vermilion Energy
partners	Vermilion Energy (56.5%) Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (43.5%)
discovery	1996
start development	2004
start production	2015‡R1R‡
est gas bft	1000
recover gas bft	594
formations	Triassic Sandstones

History

Development

Gas field

Pipeline

Processing plant

Controversy

Safety and environmental concerns

Pipeline route

Discharges from drying process

Pipeline route

Discharges from drying process

Planning problems

Tax

Employment

Further reading

External links

References