Corrib talks unlikely to re-start

Corrib talks unlikely to re-start


Anton McNulty

COMMUNITY groups who were involved in the Corrib talks with Shell and the Government, which broke down last week, have said there is no point resuming talks unless Shell changes its agenda and agrees to a process that will bring a solution to the conflict.
Direct talks between the parties broke down in Dublin last Monday after five hours, with the location of the Bellanaboy gas terminal central to the breakdown of the talks. Minister Éamon Ó Cuív said there was a ‘fundamental disagreement’ between the two sides, but the initiative had been ‘very useful’, and they were committed to mediating in some form to resolve the issue.
However, John Monaghan, spokesperson for Pobal Chill Chomáin, told The Mayo News that  Minister Ó Cuív and Minister Eamon Ryan needed to take responsibility and not allow Shell to set the agenda of the talks. In a joint statement, the two community groups, Pobail Chill Chomáin and Pobail Le Chéile, said they greatly regretted the outcome of the exploratory talks but said that Shell had chosen conflict and confrontation with the community instead of seeking a solution.
“We entered these talks in good faith and mindful of our responsibilities as community representatives. Instead of seeking a solution they [Shell] have chosen to continue to impose this threatening and unnecessary project on us. We all share a responsibility for the continuation of the Corrib gas conflict, but all fair-minded observers should clearly see where the real difficulties now lie.
“For our part, we have always been prepared to engage positively. Even after this latest obstacle, we still call on the Government to exercise its duty towards it’s citizens, act resolutely, and insist that Shell face up to the realities and behave as a responsible company must do,” said the statement.
Mr Monaghan said they were willing to en-enter talks but said a meaningful process needed to be put in place to solve the conflict and claimed that so far the process had not been helpful. He said he was happy that the Ministers were taking an interest and they were made aware that they were being led up the garden path by Shell in relation to community consent for the project.
“We were led to believe that everything was on the table for discussion but Shell’s line was that the Corrib project was to go ahead as planned. They made it clear at the meeting that despite being told there was no community consent for the project they were seeking conflict. We will keep pushing but unless there are major changes, there is no point meeting with Shell,” he said.
Meanwhile, efforts to resume laying the offshore section of the Corrib gas pipeline are expected to begin in the near future after Shell E&P Ireland’s environmental management plan was approved last week by Minister for Energy, Eamon Ryan.
The Corrib gas partners – Shell, Statoil and Marathon – have also signalled to Minister Ryan’s department that they are ‘preparing for activities to commence’ on pipelaying offshore to the landfall at Glengad.
Measures to ‘mitigate’ the effects of the pipelaying work on the Special Protection Area (SPA) in Broadhaven Bay and at Glengad have been incorporated in Mr Ryan’s approval of the environmental management plan.