*Very* limited amount of jobs for locals – how many skilled gas extraction workers do you think there are in glengad??

Also may I remind you that Shell are under NO obligation to sell the gas to us, and even if they do it will be at full market rate. So if anyone starts on about security of supply/revenue windfall; that is simply not the case.

Ah shut it Peter king. Investment in capital goods can be written off against taxes in every business.

Ireland doesn’t have a generous and tax policy for oil and gas or there would have been more than one exploration license taken up in the last round.

Norway will refund 85% of exploration expenses if the well comes up empty. Ireland is a massive money pit for energy companies

We can’t even get access to the gas, we were told it only runs down certain streets.

Yes Peter King.

And but for the protestors, expenses would be so much smaller.

Were you expecting the Irish government to foot the bill for bringing the Corrib field into production?

Do you not think that bringing this field into production will provide some energy security in a country where 66% of electricity is generated from gas, supplies of which, amount to no more than 11 days at any one time at a time when Mother Russia has been sabre rattling and threating to turn off the gas supply to Europe?

The next step is to begin extracting the shale gas in Co. Leitrim, I suppose that you are against that too?

We also need to build a nuclear power station in Ireland to provide additional energy security. I suppose that you would be against that too?

Perhaps we should just sit in the dark, catch dinner with a club, wear a loin cloth and live in caves?

Errr…. 66% of electricity in Ireland is generated from gas?

Does everyone not pay for gas at the market rate?

In a crisis situation, the gas would be used in the Irish market if we could not get it anywhere else, so your point about energy security does not hold any water.

Kevin Collins, my point exactly irish gas will do nothing for ireland,but plenty for Germany. You asked how many gas extraction workers do I know? How many irish people will be given apprenticeships to train as such by shell? What shell are doing and being allowed to do is disgusting.

David, no this was a special deal done for oil companies. 100% of costs associated can be written off. Including the cost of bribing local morons.

It funny. I’m actually in favour of the pipeline. We’ve little other resources so we need this just in case Russia turn off the taps. Someone asked about how much tax shell will pay and I gave the factual answer.

I suppose by that logic you were in favour of giving away our vast fishing rights too? Should we give away our forests too? What about all our tourist hot spots? Sure we’ll just give them all away, right Peter? What good would the oil be to us? Its not like the country is flat broke or anything…right?
I’m not much for financial affairs in general… But giving trillions of euro worth of assets is one thing, but to actually have Irish people shrug their shoulders and say “ah sure look at the benefits” is just beyond brain dead stupidity in my books.

Sorry Peter I don’t mean to be critical of you personally… I just find is frustrating that people can’t see the level of injustice being played out right infront of us.
Not only has a corporation bought out a government, but it blatantly highlights the lack of morale, conviction and dignity wof the individuals within our political class… it has also seperated many of the people in this country, destroyed what was a beautiful part of the West of Ireland, but more so it has set a precedent for our younger generation growing up where back handers and pay offs are apparently somewhat acceptable in the modern world. What are “morals” and “values” ? Whats the point in having words which describe such aspirations if there not respected?

It cost billion of dollars to look for oil and gas in the Atlantic. If the Irish govt did not offer an incentive to oil companies then the gas would lay under the ocean for ever because no one in Ireland is capable of finding and extracting it, least of all the Irish govt.

I’m from the erris area and only for that gas project north mayo would be one bleak place right now, post recession. I know hundreds of local people who have been employed in bellababoy for years now, as tradesmen, security personnel engineers etc. When someone wants to spend €300m in your area you don’t tell them to fcuk off. Furthermore shell have provided state of the art facilities for local schools, community and sports groups and the gaa clubs of belmullet and kilcommon and kiltane. They have provided scholarships for dozens of local kids to attend university of €4000 per year. They have poured million into the local area. Why should we refuse this money? We certainly won’t see any from the government will we??

90% of locals are pro gas and pro enterprise. If there was no gas project the Erris area, already one of the countries most isolated spots, it would be devastated by the economic downturn.

Joe, it’s that kind of attitude that has this country on its knees. You don’t seem to realise that leaving the gas in the ground would leave this country with the same profit levels, that being zilch. Companies profit from this not Ireland. Furthermore, the scholarships that you speak of are paid for by taxpayers, not by shell. These are included in the list of things that are tax deductible. But hey, why let the truth get in the way of your story.

Fair enough Joe, you make some valid points. But I still don’t see how benefitting one small part of the country compares to what should have, and what should be a huge bonus for the whole country, especially given the dire financial state we see ourselves in. What is 300m investment, compared to over 1trillion euro worth of assets? And its more so the principal of the matter.. that some crook felt he could give it away on behalf of the entire nation.

“Why should we refuse this money?”

One straight & simple answer: There is more to life than money. Granted we all need money to get by… but its a sad state of affairs to see it be the be all and end all of so many people’s lives, and for people to sell out their country, their fellow country man, and their neighbour, for another house.. or a new car…. Money doesn’t buy happiness, or comradery, or friendship, or value, or substance, or morale , or conviction, or pride in life, but taking a back hander to further your own needs causes anger, distrust, a complete breakdown of what it means to trust your supposed peers, a fracture in society. All for what exactly? A new car or another house?? Do you really think its worth it in that regard?

And whether the Irish government were capable of locating and extracting the oil is another matter altogether, the Irish government were aware of the presence of large quantities of oil. Its very simple, if you have something someone wants to buy… and god knows theres a market for oil, you sell it. You make a deal. But why give it away? Why would Ray Burke not try and functionj on behalf of his country, and the people he supposedly represented?

And furthermore, I implore you to do any kind of research into the devastation Shell have left in other countries around the world, if you feel they really are so chartitable. They are a profiteering corporation, whos only goal is to make profit, If they invested in schools or sports clubs or whatever, its because they knew they had to buy the locals off somehow, Because they KNEW there was huge profits to be made from that pipeline. It HAD to have been worth their while.

Peter
The protests have added millions in terms of costs and loss of production that will be paid by the Irish State in tax offsets. Why would anyone be surprised at this.
The protestors carried out their long war of attrition as payees of the State Social Welfare which will now add hundreds of millions of Euro on tax offsets. Blame Maura Harrington and the other loonies.

@ Rickard….
the protests? really?
“Minister Ray Burke (later jailed for corruption) changed the law in 1987, reducing the State’s share in our offshore oil and gas from 50% to zero and abolishing royalties. In 1992, Minister Bertie Ahern reduced the tax rate for the profits made from the sale of these resources from 50% to 25%.”

So please explain… carefully, how the cost of protests, who were legally, justifiably and rightly so, trying to have their voice heard in the name of justice, truth, and all the ethical cornerstones western civilization is built on, compares to the clear and blatant operations which were treating the name of the Irish government and the Irish people in contempt?

“Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress.”
Martin Luther King, Jr

What Shale Gas in Leitrim ? Even Tamboran admit its a shallow basin and the gas might have all gone. Shale is less about extracting gas and more about extracting money from investors. Read about how QE is polishing the Turd that is the Shale industry in US. http://nsnbc.me/2014/05/13/washingtons-shale-boom-going-bust/ Note this article was written before the 95% write down of the Monterey Shale in the US . http://energypolicyforum.org/2014/05/26/has-occidental-petroleum-deliberately-duped-investors/

Ahem .. was the state not formed because of protest .. I believe it all really kicked off with a guy called Boycott in Co Mayo and sort of morphed into the Land League, The Gaelic League, the Fenians , the IRB, Sinn Fein 1916, 1918 election etc..
In two years time the very political parties that ‘deplore the Shell protests’ will be all trying to claim their true heritage as founding fathers of the state .. a bit Ironic.

No there is no facility for Ireland to take the gas it belongs to the SEPIL Partners.

Its Shells not ours/

@ Critical Thoughts.
They’re delighted with the money.
They’re not delighted with Shell.
Who really is?
Shower of corrupt terrorists.

Watched the documentary “The Pipe” on Channel Four. Showed the “protestors” for what they really are: intransigent, ego-tripping tree huggers.

POI: Methane is an odorless gas

Not if it come out your h*le

Smell the fart actors…

Rob I must agree the idiots in S2S have delayed this project by years and as a result the taxpayers will get even less money plus we have to factor in the cost of policing the layabouts!

Anyone remember the delays caused by the crusties to improving the road in the Glen of the Downs? Anyone remember how bad and dangerous it actually was? Now look at how beautiful the area is.

Here Here.

Thats thanks to the crusties, it is not the same development that was proposed.

Without Harrington and the rest of those clowns there would have been no jobs in Belmulet only in Turkey

Get serious coddler. The Norwegians have gas and oil in a rich deposit area. We don’t. Even if it is there it is at much greater depths than oil/gas elsewhere and hence is difficult to access. For Ireland or enter this business would require billions which we would have to be prepared to gamble and possibly lose. Not a runner.

Coddler
We haven’t the money or the expertise or perhaps the oil to develop a Norwegian type State enterprise.
We are clearly not attractive to the Industry driven the failure to discover any decent production wells after years and years of trying.

John does every post about these issues have to knock our own capabilities in Ireland and feed the victim and inferiority psychosis of some? Self hatred achieves nothing. We are capable in Ireland of doing virtually anything once we put our minds to it. Irish Water hired in contractors in the main and not consultants despite their own CEO idiotically using the dreaded consultancy word. In other words they outsourced certain works. This is perfectly normal and acceptable to do for any business.

I think this is a good and prosperous development for the city of belmullet. Although caution must be exercised at every corner regarding safety and security of the pipe. My first cousins uncle lives nearby and already local vagabonds are offering free gas to locals ‘on the sly’. Apparently they are sneaking in at night, cracking a hole in the pipe à la ‘shawshank redemption’ and then their ferrying it off by means of a heavy duty hose to a nearby hut where there is a spaghetti like network of smaller hoses going out to power local houses/shops/butchers for free. I can’t confirm if Maura Harrington is the ringleader.

Na. Its just a few drums of Calor buried in the ground. Theyll find out in about 3 weeks when it runs out

John R,
You say we are capable of doing virtually anything in Ireland but establishing a domestic oil & gas industry is absolutely not a runner in your mind. You see the contradiction or did you just forget to log out of one of your twitter accounts?

RR,
We were clearly attracive enough to Shell or do you belive they’re in Mayo for philanthropic reasons?

Coddler
Sorry for the delay but unlike Shell mine was caused by having other things to do such as travel home from my current transatlantic abode!
Shell have met all sorts of difficulty in the international search for oil from guerrilla warfare to tsunamis and as a business they just build the cost into their margins. Where those costs can be passed on to consumers or as a tax offset they do it. However if given a retrospective choice Shell would rather have stayed out of Ireland.
I wouldn’t like that view to give any encouragement to the crusties and weirdos and anti everything crowd that seriously damaged our States commercial interests in the past few years.

Saddest thing about it is the tax on this is so rediculously low…and theres so many tax breaks,that companies can actualy get away with paying little to no tax!!!

You can’t go slamming the tax rate on this without taking the bigger picture into account.

Ireland has oil and gas offshore, albeit it in a very hostile, and vastly under explored. Under 160 wells exploration wells drilled in Ireland compared to over 1,200 in Norway. Normally the rate is one gushing well to 9 dry wells.

A well drilled off Kerry last year cost in the region of 200 million. It was plugged and abandoned. For those off you who say we should employ the Norweigian model, that would entail the exchequer reimbursing 78% of the production cost, ie writing a cheque for 156 million!! How well do you think that would go down with the public? Paying oil companies for failed efforts!!

How long has this Corrib fiasco been dragged out for? Close to 15 years maybe? In my opinion, any energy company would want to be smoking crack cocaine to even think about investing money in Ireland, tax write offs or not

THAT IS GARBAGE THE PRESSURE IS100BAR

IT LIBELS MAURA

Do you still approve of a 345bar pipe 30m from homes?

This article is about tunnelling.. Stop trying to buy as space on Election Day… If you must insist, at least try and be relevant.

Oh yes, because “THIS” government sold the licence to Shell……… Eight years ago when they weren’t even in power! Stop blaming FG/Labour for everything that has ever happened in the history of the state.

Yates, give it up. You’re too late. We’re Jammin is getting promoted to SF area rep…

Labour sold out Michael Collins

So its at 345 bar 30 meters from homes.

Mayo needs a tofu knitting factory not gas and oil.

That’s a tunnel with room for maintenance and a slightly larger pipe could vastly increase the delivery capacity of the pipe ,eg a 1000mm pipe delivers about 11 times more than one of 300mm.

Probably just as well they took her out of there before the gas started flowing then.

The simple question was fairly rhetorical. There will be oil and gas pipelines galore in there. Idiots like Joe mahon will be delighted to get a few bob while the country as whole gets screwed. Good man Joe.

We must not forget the 2000 billion plus tons of coal off the Norwegian coast, lucky divils ♥

Thanks for all the facts,my point is Norway will be better off for its gas than Ireland will ever be.its a pity!

Barry,
Norway gave the same incentives to the oil companies that Ireland has done. Except, they gave the incentives 25years before us.
They also let the companies that found the first fields tax breaks. It encourage them to explore in the first place.
If there was no incentive to explore, if Shell were to spend all the money and then get nothing, would they have carried in spending on exploration?
Norway now benefits, but they offered the exact same deal as Ireland has offered.