Shell to Sea

[muppet]

Maura Harrington was on Mid West Radio this morning with Tommy Marren (she's the leading Shell to Sea campaigner for those who don't know). She calls this victory as only a minor victory, that the new route will cause its own problems (close to a lake which supplies water for all of Erris) and the only outcome they'll be happy with is Shell moving their refinary to sea.

What has happened with An Bord Pleanála is a huge turnaround though.

It is good news and can be seen as a vindication of the struggle of people like Harrington and Willie Corduff. However, Shell's big wallet would worry me as I'm not altogether convinced of the integrity of our planning system.

Why don't Shell just move the refinery to sea? Practically everyone is happy then (barring the taxpayer who sold the rights for a song - thank you politicians!).

No matter what your viewpoint you have to ask how can an immense project commence claiming to have satisfied all planning criteria { which has never been questioned by either the media or our elected representatives (with the exception of Cowley who lost his seat)} and then a few years later one of our planning authorities rules against it, after a huge amount of work has been carried out.

Whether you think it should be refined at sea or on land you would have to say our planning process is either a complete shambles or it has been a shambles just for this project only for some reason. Neither is acceptable.

[Billys Boots]

you would have to say our planning process is either a complete shambles or it has been a shambles just for this project only for some reason.

It's the former, due solely to the clientelism that we laughingly call our political system/government.

[ludermor]

Has the route where Shell were allowed to CPO the land from the locals now been declared unsafe? Or is the unsafe route all under water?

[Main Street]

you would have to say our planning process is either a complete shambles or it has been a shambles just for this project only for some reason.

It's the former, due solely to the clientelism that we laughingly call our political system/government.

Thats a good word (clientelism) to use, to describe the process.

[Armaghtothebone]

I would have thought that given the severe financial difficulties the country finds itself in that EVERYONE would have been pushing like mad to get this thing up and running.
Surely if there is a mountain of gas out there under the Atlantic in Irish coastal waters it should be exploited?

[muppet]

I would have thought that given the severe financial difficulties the country finds itself in that EVERYONE would have been pushing like mad to get this thing up and running.
Surely if there is a mountain of gas out there under the Atlantic in Irish coastal waters it should be exploited?

We gave it away for nothing.

[muppet]

http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/workers-killed-in-us-power-plant-gas-blast-445236.html

Workers killed in US power plant gas blast
08/02/2010 - 07:35:17
A massive blast blew apart a US power plant as workers building it purged natural gas lines, killing at least five people and injuring a dozen or more.

The blast at the Kleen Energy Systems plant in Middletown, Connecticut, shook homes for miles.

Middletown's mayor Sebastian Giuliano said at least 12 people were injured.

Deputy fire marshal Al Santostefano said crews were still searching for survivors in the rubble of the plant, about 20 miles south of Hartford.

Santostefano said earlier about 50 people were in the area yesterday when the explosion occurred.

He said it was difficult to tell how many people were at the plant because multiple contractors were working there, each with their own employee lists.

The 620-megawatt plant was being built to produce energy primarily using natural gas.

Santostefano said workers for construction company O&G Industries were purging the gas lines, a procedure he called a "blow-down", when the explosion occurred.

Lynn Hawley, 54, of Hartland, Connecticut, said her son Brian, 36, a pipe fitter at the plant, called her from his mobile phone to say he was being rushed to Middlesex Hospital.

"He really couldn't say what happened to him," she said. "He was in a lot of pain and they got him into surgery as quickly as possible."

She said he had a broken leg and was expected to survive.

Hospitals reported some seriously injured patients.

The thundering blast shook houses for miles.

"I felt the house shake, I thought a tree fell on the house," said Middletown resident Steve Clark.

Kleen Energy Systems began building the power plant in February 2008. It had signed a capacity deal with Connecticut Light and Power for the electricity produced by the plant. Building was due to be completed by the middle of this year.

The company is run by president and former Middletown City Council member William Corvo.

Plants powered by natural gas are taking on a much larger role in generating electricity for the US.

Gas emits about half the greenhouse gases of coal-fired plants and new technology has allowed natural gas companies to begin to unlock gas supplies that could total more than 100 years at current usage levels.

Natural gas is used to make about a fifth of the nation's electricity.

Connecticut governor Jodi Rell was visiting the scene today and called out a specialised search and rescue team to help firefighters.

The state's Emergency Operations Centre in Hartford was also activated, and the Department of Public Health was called to provide tents at the scene for shelter and frontline medical treatment.

Rell said the emergency teams were expected to work through the night.

Daniel Horowitz, a spokesman for the US Chemical Safety Board, said the agency was mobilising an investigation team from Colorado and hoped to have the workers on the scene later today.

In February 2009, an explosion at a We Energies coal-fired power plant near Milwaukee burned six workers. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is still investigating.

In the past few years, an explosion at a Dominion Virginia Power coal-fired plant in Massachusetts killed three workers in November 2007, while one worker and nine others were injured at an American Electric Power plant of the same type in Beverly, Ohio, in January 2007.

Read more: http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/workers-killed-in-us-power-plant-gas-blast-445236.html#ixzz0exOc7lig

[unitedireland]

CSR i dont think so.

[muppet]

Why will the Irish media not report any negative story involving Shell?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbGs2NWIF3o&feature=player_embedded

[blast05]

Hmm, its Indy Media .....
So Michael Dwyer and 2 or 3 others that worked for Shell were being paid to instigate a civil war in Bolivia to try and get control back of oil/gas reserves from the Bolivian gorvernment who had nationalised it a year earlier

While i am very cynical about everything Shell do, i think this is a bit of a stretch....

I do agree however that there has been a huge failure by the Irish media to investigate the sinking of Pat O'Donnells boat, the legality of efforts to prevent him from fishing and the late night attach on Willie Corduff. In the first and last cases, there is absolutely no way i could believe that the incidents were instigated by locals with no invovlement in Shell who just wanted the project to progress for the betterment of the Erris region.

[muppet]

Hmm, its Indy Media .....
So Michael Dwyer and 2 or 3 others that worked for Shell were being paid to instigate a civil war in Bolivia to try and get control back of oil/gas reserves from the Bolivian gorvernment who had nationalised it a year earlier

While i am very cynical about everything Shell do, i think this is a bit of a stretch....

I do agree however that there has been a huge failure by the Irish media to investigate the sinking of Pat O'Donnells boat, the legality of efforts to prevent him from fishing and the late night attach on Willie Corduff. In the first and last cases, there is absolutely no way i could believe that the incidents were instigated by locals with no invovlement in Shell who just wanted the project to progress for the betterment of the Erris region.

I accept it is Indymedia but the Irish media and indeed Ireland in general are turning a blind eye to the Shell debacle. As for Dwyer, it didn't say he was starting a civil war. It did lead you draw that conclusion. It would be nice to see a real Irish journalist investigate the facts but instead were are left with the likes of Myers calling for Shell to hire people to 'crack the skull' of a protestor (even if it is Maura Harrington).

The Natural Gas there would pay for Anglo and Irish Nationwide all on it own. Many countries (including Bolivia ) have revoked the terms of contracts with oil companies. Given that we are bankrupt is it too much to ask that Shell pay for the Billions of euros of resources we have given them? Either that or the next budget better contain a huge tax hike for Gas refining.

[magpie seanie]

I agree. Its time our Govt copped on and got "paid" (officially) by Shell for all they've done for them.

[thejuice]

I know this has been mentioned by Jim Corr and eirigí whom alot people here don't exactly hold in high regard. I've one arse cheek on the fence when it comes to them but anyway ignore them for the minute.

There's increasing noise about the possibilities of nationalising our gas and oil reserves. What would it take and have we valid independent estimates on its value.

What would it take to nationalise it? I think in these times it might get a bit more support.

[Mayo4Sam]

Planning permission finally received, about time

The problem with corrib is there are too many people who talk as if they know what's going on, the following are facts:
1. It takes €500 million to drill a trial well, Ireland doesn't have the money for this, so they, like other countries sell the exploration rights to companies like shell, shell drills, hopefully finds oil/gas and we tax that as it comes onshore. This is common practice throughout the world, we didn't give it away for free. The other model is a joint venture between state and an oil company, like statoil in Norway, not an option for us because we only have a (relatively) small amount of land out at sea, with little known about Atlantic reserves.
2. Shell followed our planning permission laws on pipes, to break it down pipes are designed on probability, chance that the pipe will fail multiplied by chance that life will be lost, for any pipe in Ireland you have to be below a certain number when u multiply these two. In shells case the chance of loss of life is way larger than ur standard pipe so the probability it will fail is way lower, it will literally be the safest pipe ever built in Ireland.
3. This gas is great from a security of supply perspective for Ireland, we're at the end of a very long line and if the tap is turned off we're first to go.

[An Gaeilgoir]

Planning permission finally received, about time

The problem with corrib is there are too many people who talk as if they know what's going on, the following are facts:
1. It takes €500 million to drill a trial well, Ireland doesn't have the money for this, so they, like other countries sell the exploration rights to companies like shell, shell drills, hopefully finds oil/gas and we tax that as it comes onshore. This is common practice throughout the world, we didn't give it away for free. The other model is a joint venture between state and an oil company, like statoil in Norway, not an option for us because we only have a (relatively) small amount of land out at sea, with little known about Atlantic reserves.
2. Shell followed our planning permission laws on pipes, to break it down pipes are designed on probability, chance that the pipe will fail multiplied by chance that life will be lost, for any pipe in Ireland you have to be below a certain number when u multiply these two. In shells case the chance of loss of life is way larger than ur standard pipe so the probability it will fail is way lower, it will literally be the safest pipe ever built in Ireland.
3. This gas is great from a security of supply perspective for Ireland, we're at the end of a very long line and if the tap is turned off we're first to go.

Well said Mayo4Sam. All the relevant permissions are now in place, this is a legally operating project , but the protests/ intimidation etc. will still go on. Witing for the backlash 1,2,3,4,5...