A coalition of environmental groups has vowed to fight the planned construction of a fracked gas import terminal in Ireland, saying the project would be “both a climate disaster and a betrayal of the people who helped to ban fracking in Ireland”.
The Stop Shannon LNG Coalition says the proposed terminal – agreed by Cabinet this week – is to feed energy-hungry data centres and would make Ireland less energy secure by locking us into American fracked gas for decades.
Eddie Mitchell from anti-fracking group Love Leitrim said: “To resist this planned LNG terminal is to resist part of the biggest rollout of new fossil fuel infrastructure on the planet. We will not let down our friends in communities in the US such as Pennsylvania, by agreeing with the building of a facility to take in this hazardous extinction fuel which is killing their communities. To do so would be a betrayal of those who helped us ban fracking here in Ireland.”
The groups are part of a grassroots movement informed by scientific evidence, years of campaigning and first-hand accounts from victims of the fracking industry. They say they reject the narrative established with the launch by Eamon Ryan of the Energy Security Package in November 2023 that the building of a fracked gas import terminal is acceptable. They don’t believe gas demand should continue to be expanded, no less from Fracked sources, as is currently being done to facilitate the unlimited expansion of energy thirsty data centres.[1]
Eoghan Harris of Future Generations Kerry said:
“Minister Darragh O’ Brien stated on radio that he wanted to build an LNG terminal which he finally acknowledged would import Fracked gas. He said it would only be used in the event of a disruption to gas supply. He said that the government’s memo later that day would stipulate this. However, the government’s press release later that evening includes no such stipulation. He is instead quoted in the press release as saying “the development of a state-led, strategic reserve will ensure the continuity of gas supply as an essential transitional energy security measure. Ireland faces between €8 and 26 billion in EU fines for exceeding its emissions budget. Furthermore Gas Networks Ireland has said they are increasing the capacity of the interconnectors by 42% and have eliminated a single point of failure. We know that climate adaptation is no substitute for climate mitigation and the most effective mitigation measure is to stop the trade in fracked gas, which is 44% worse than coal in terms of greenhouse gas emissions”[2,3]
Sinead Sheehan, a campaigner with the Stop Shannon LNG coalition, said: “Fracking is a public health concern, this is the reason we banned fracking in Ireland, because it is known to cause cancer through poisoning the water and the land. Ireland should not be complicit — we care about those impacted by fracking to produce gas that would be imported to Ireland if the LNG terminal is given the green light. If we support the importation of Fracked gas, we lose the moral ground to maintain a ban on fracking in Ireland. We must stop the Shannon LNG fracked gas import terminal as it is a step completely in the wrong direction for public health, safety and for the environment.”
Dr Sheehan continued “It is nonsense that the LNG facility would only be used in emergencies, as stated by Minister for Energy and the Environment, Darragh O’Brien on national radio. His Department’s statement said that the facility would likely be refilled six times per year. The statement also claimed that the storage capacity of the facility would be enough energy to supply 200,000 homes for six months. Therefore, the American fracked gas would not only be used in emergencies – Ireland would be totally reliant on it [4] .This is a really environmentally destructive plan that is being pushed by the government.”
Dearbhla Richardson, Fridays for Future Ireland said: In 2017 we banned fracking on our shores, because of the public health implications and prospective environmental consequences. In 2023 when LNG was reintroduced to government discussion, the public were purposely misled. Told that Ireland’s new ‘strategic gas infrastructure’ wouldn’t include fracked gas- an impossible feat, but necessary narrative to gain public support- because Irish people don’t buy into benefiting from international suffering. We banned fracking in Ireland because we did not want Irish people to suffer- avoiding the realities associated with fracking- cardiovascular diseases, strokes, cancers and premature death. Why should we benefit from the suffering of affected communities – if it is a fate we are not willing to impose on our own people?
Dearbhla continued:
We are at a climate tipping point, the decisions governments make over the next few years are critical, fossil fuels must be phased out in this decade- or we will overshoot our climate goals, with devastating global consequences.”
ENDS
Stop Shannon LNG Coalition list:
Future Generations Kerry
Safety Before LNG
Futureproof Clare
Gluaiseacht
Slí Eile
Extinction Rebellion Ireland
Ecojustice Ireland
Love Leitrim
Fracking Free Clare
Treasure Leitrim
Keep Tulla Untouched
Leitrim Wind Industry Awareness
Good Energies Alliance Ireland
North Leitrim Sustainable Energy Community
Fermanagh Fracking Awareness Network
Cork Queer Nature Collective
Cobh Zero Waste
One Future Dublin South-Central
Shale Must Fall, Ireland
Fridays for Future Ireland
Abhainn Dá Loilíoch Woodland Group
UCC Environmental Society
LINKS:
[3] https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2025/0304/1500121-lng-terminal-ireland/
[4] Calculations for the figures used are calculated as below:
The government statement states: “The FSRU will have capacity of 170,000 cubic meters of LNG when full” & “This is likely to result in the strategic gas emergency reserve being refilled up to six times per year.”
FSRU Capacity of 170,000 m³ LNG = 97,147,000 m³ of gas
6 FSRU Refills per year = 6 X 97,147,000 m³ = 582, 882, 000 m³ of gas or 5.69TWh
Total gas demand for 2023 = 53.1 TWh
Total residential gas consumption for 2023 = 5.981 TWh
6 FSRU Refills per year of 5.69TWh is 10.7% of total gas consumption or 95% of residential gas consumption
https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-ngc/networkedgasconsumption2023/
https://unit-converter.gasunie.nl/