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Updated at 11am
A GOVERNMENT MINISTER has called for an investigation into how odourless gas from the Corrib gas field made it into the general supply.
Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring said that he was “extremely concerned” over how the odourless gas managed to enter the wider network.
“I am aware that the EPA is engaged with Gas Networks Ireland and the priority is that this situation is resolved safely and with minimal inconvenience to customers,” he said.
“However, we also need answers on how this was allowed to happen and we need them without delay.
“We were given guarantees that this type of thing couldn’t happen. Companies that sell potentially dangerous energy products to our consumers have an obligation to ensure that there is no risk to the customer.
The fact that this has not happened is of the utmost concern.
Ring – who is a local TD in the area – was commenting after odourless made into the network due to a technical breach at the Corrib gas processing plant.
The Corrib gas plant in north Mayo was flaring up overnight as engineers worked to remove the odourless gas from the supply.
Customers in Galway and Mayo have been advised to turn off their gas supply for up to 72 hours while Gas Networks Ireland works to remove the odourless gas from the supply.
Gas is naturally odourless but a smell is added for safety purposes so people can detect it in the event of a leak.
Customers in Galway, Tuam, Headford, Ballinrobe, Claremorris, Castlebar, Westport, Crossmolina and Ballina are affected by the notice.
RTÉ News reports that the odourless issue is down to a technical breach at the Corrib gas processing plant.
Natural gas from the offshore Corrib field is piped onshore where it is refined at a processing plant at Bellanaboy before entering the general network.
But a technical issue at the plant – which is operated by fuel giant Shell – has led to the odour not being added.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland Eoin Wilson – network safety officer with Gas Networks Ireland – said that officials were first notified early yesterday morning that there may have been an issue with the service.
He said safety officers analysed the situation and once they had identified that some odourless gas had entered the network they began measures to notify customers.
Wilson said he was “absolutely” satisfied with the time it took for customers to be notified.
“The risk [to customers] is very, very low,” he said, adding that a team was working around the clock and he hoped that the gas service would be returned to normal by Sunday afternoon.
Flaring
The Corrib gas plant flared throughout the night as the odourless gas was pumped back to the processing plant and burnt off.
Locals in the area have been complaining at the sight and the noise of the flaring,
The Corrib gas project met with strong local resistance when it began.
Locals in the area cited safety and environmental concerns with the project and large-scale and multiple demonstrations were regularly held.
One of the main protest groups Shell to Sea strongly criticised Shell following the technical breach.
In a statement, Shell E&P Ireland (SEPIL) said that work was ongoing to the remove the odourless gas from the network.
“Flaring is expected to continue today at the Bellanaboy Bridge Gas Terminal to remove the gas in a safe and controlled manner,” a spokesperson said.
SEPIL will continue to update local residents. SEPIL regrets any inconvenience caused by this operational incident.
The spokesperson said that all operations at the Bellanaboy Bridge Gas Terminal continued as normal and an investigation had been launched into the incident.
An internal investigation has commenced and SEPIL is working with the necessary authorities and GNI to resolve this issue as soon as possible.
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We’ve known for decades that Mediterranean diet is very healthy especially in older age. Why do we keep researching things where we already know the answer?
@Gavin: It’s about finding out why and how.
@Gavin: a lot of things we “know” are urban legends or old wives tales.
Important that knowledge is verified and understood.
No mention of beef? What about the pooooooor hard done by farmers, surely we’re not suggesting that the government should subsidise the production of healthier, more sustainable foods like vegetables instead of continuing to spend millions on beef subsidies.
@: 1. Beef is healthy in moderation. 2. The Beef industry is a big Irish exporter, so basically a strong economic resource.
There is also research that states that a carnivore diet that’s very heavy on red meats like beef is very healthy and provides many benefits over a normal diet.
I personally wouldn’t go for this but I think that what diet works best depends very much so on the individual and we shouldn’t go writing off certain foods because it doesn’t fit our narrative
@milton friedman:
If it’s such a strong economic resource why does it rely on subsidies? The EU is phasing out beef subsidies for a reason. Why should we be subsidising the production of something with taxpayer money?
As for the “carnivore diet” being “healthy”, that’s fringe stuff that goes against the consensus. Saturated fat is linked to heart disease, the science on that is pretty solid. Most of our micronutrients come from fruit & veg rather than meat.
Not saying for a second we should ban beef or anything, I’m just challenging this ridiculous idea that subsidising beef is the duty of our governments. If we’re going to subsidise the production of food (which is a good thing to prevent reliance on other countries), we should be subsidising healthy, economic foods. Beef is expensive to produce, produces far more CO2 and methane than the alternatives, and is largely unhealthy at the levels people eat it. You’ll find far more people eating too much beef than too little.
@: I don’t disagree with anything you have said; in fact I basically wholly agree.
I was just outlining why beef receives subsidies, mainly for the second reason. I’m not sure the power it has now, surely diminished, but Ireland was making agreements with countries based on supplying beef (Libya and China for example) in the past, so it is seen as a benefit to subsidize beef production opposed to other produce.
@John Black: The carnivore diet reduces all gut bacteria immensely, both good and bad. So while it lowers inflammation from the bad gut bacteria that live off things like carbs,it also reduces your much needed good gut bacteria and likely causes bad long term affects.
@John Murphy:
It also lacks vitamin C, a deficiency of which, causes scurvy. It’s a dangerous diet peddled by crackpots.
I wouldn’t call it a crack pot diet because it does show beneficial effects on a short term. But I agree it’s very dangerous for the average person to try.
I’d stick with a low carb high fibre diet instead.
Living in a Mediterranean climate boosts chances of ‘healthy’ ageing among older people as well
@Fergus O’Connor: absolutely and you get brown and wrinkly and can rock about in the sun naked as the day god made you all those years ago..
Did someone forget to mention the cheap glass of wine, the warm climate ,proper health system and early pension might also have something to do with it ?
@Ken Bramley: D’accord. C’est la vie!
Eating Mediterranean fish in the Mediterranean will prolong your life even longer
@Shane Cormican: An underwater eating session in the Med could drown you!!!
A BIG factor is climate they are more healthy because outside more therefore more active and its warm so helps with arthritis, would get a lot of vitamin D
Well seeing as fish now consist or varying degrees of plastic you’d probably be better on a Mediterranean vegetarian diet with an omega 3 supplement.
Just living in a Mediterranean environment would prolong your life, the fish unfortunately like everywhere else are probably Toxic
Yea,the price of fish in this country.The spanish hoovering up all the fish and we live on an island and we cant afford to eat fish every day.
Knowing (and practising) this since I was 5 (months), I couldn’t agree more.
Also, it’s importat to enjoy food, and prepare yourself. That’ll keep you healthy too.
Load o’ bollocks
More Fiber, moderate meat, less processed fat like margarine or oil for 3 Euro, less sugar – it causes inflammation, that’s it. Of course most important is exercise.
have your say