The Wholesome Photo of the Month Thu May 09, 2024 11:01 | Anti-Empire
In 3 War Years Russia Will Have Spent $3... Thu May 09, 2024 02:17 | Anti-Empire
UK Sending Missiles to Be Fired Into Rus... Tue May 07, 2024 14:17 | Marko Marjanović
US Gives Weapons to Taiwan for Free, The... Fri May 03, 2024 03:55 | Anti-Empire
Russia Has 17 Percent More Defense Jobs ... Tue Apr 30, 2024 11:56 | Marko Marjanović Anti-Empire >>
Indymedia Ireland is a volunteer-run non-commercial open publishing website for local and international news, opinion & analysis, press releases and events. Its main objective is to enable the public to participate in reporting and analysis of the news and other important events and aspects of our daily lives and thereby give a voice to people.
Julian Assange is finally free ! Tue Jun 25, 2024 21:11 | indy
Stand With Palestine: Workplace Day of Action on Naksa Day Thu May 30, 2024 21:55 | indy
It is Chemtrails Month and Time to Visit this Topic Thu May 30, 2024 00:01 | indy
Hamburg 14.05. "Rote" Flora Reoccupied By Internationalists Wed May 15, 2024 15:49 | Internationalist left
Eddie Hobbs Breaks the Silence Exposing the Hidden Agenda Behind the WHO Treaty Sat May 11, 2024 22:41 | indy Human Rights in Ireland >>
Hate Cleric Raises £3 Million to Create Islamic Homeland on Scottish Island Sun Jul 28, 2024 13:01 | Richard Eldred A radical cleric has raised over £3 million to transform a remote Scottish island into a self-governing Islamic state with its own army, justice system, school and hospital.
The post Hate Cleric Raises £3 Million to Create Islamic Homeland on Scottish Island appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Why I Fear What Labour Will Do to the Education System Sun Jul 28, 2024 11:00 | Stephen Curran We are facing a radical agenda set by the progressive wing of the educational establishment, says Dr Stephen Curran. We should build on the past 14 years' foundation, not tear it down.
The post Why I Fear What Labour Will Do to the Education System appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Labour Has Just Betrayed a Generation of Young People Sun Jul 28, 2024 09:00 | Richard Eldred By dropping the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act, the Education Secretary has declared war on the culture of free speech on campus. The fight-back starts here, says Claire Fox in the Telegraph.
The post Labour Has Just Betrayed a Generation of Young People appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
The Extreme Weather We?re Experiencing Is Not Man Made, According to the IPCC Sun Jul 28, 2024 07:00 | Mark Ellse Day-to-day weather, with all its extremes, is "just weather", according to the IPCC. With their authority onside, we can shrug off the BBC's melodramatic climate reports and misinformation, says Mark Ellse.
The post The Extreme Weather We?re Experiencing Is Not Man Made, According to the IPCC appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
News Round-Up Sun Jul 28, 2024 01:17 | Richard Eldred A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic. Lockdown Skeptics >>
Voltaire, international edition
Netanyahu soon to appear before the US Congress? It will be decisive for the suc... Thu Jul 04, 2024 04:44 | en
Voltaire, International Newsletter N°93 Fri Jun 28, 2024 14:49 | en
Will Israel succeed in attacking Lebanon and pushing the United States to nuke I... Fri Jun 28, 2024 14:40 | en
Will Netanyahu launch tactical nuclear bombs (sic) against Hezbollah, with US su... Thu Jun 27, 2024 12:09 | en
Will Israel provoke a cataclysm?, by Thierry Meyssan Tue Jun 25, 2024 06:59 | en Voltaire Network >>
|
Shell flouts deal with unapproved pipework
national |
environment |
other press
Sunday July 24, 2005 07:02 by Elaine
![Report this post to the editors Report this post to the editors](../graphics/report.gif)
- JEROME REILLY
SHELL has welded together more than 2,000 metres of high-pressure pipe on the controversial €300m Corrib Gas pipeline in Co Mayo in a shocking breach of its agreement with the Government.
The unauthorised work, discovered in the last few days, has soured relations between Government and the multi-national consortium led by the British-owned oil and gas company and will inevitably lead to sanctions. Shell E&P Ireland Ltd (SEPIL) may have to dismantle all the welded pipework and "undo" all of the unauthorised works alleged to have been undertaken since the so-called 'Rossport Five' were jailed for contempt of court.
One of the central contentions of the jailed men and of protesters campaigning against the Shell Corrib Gas pipeline was that "unauthorised works" were taking place.
That claim now appears to have some validity after two inspectors carried out a major investigation on the orders of Noel Dempsey, Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources.
The five men are now entering their fourth week behind bars at Cloverhill Prison, where they are likely to remain for the foreseeable future unless they purge their contempt. An estimated 2,000 protesters calling for the men's release marched in Dublin yesterday.
A letter from the Minister detailing the alleged breaches was hand-delivered yesterday to Shell's chairman in Ireland, Andy Pyle, demanding an immediate response before he decides what action will be taken against the company.
Minister Noel Dempsey has been enraged by what is regarded as "blatant flouting" of agreements by Shell.
His special team of technical advisers will keep a check on Shell on a daily basis. "Nothing will be taken for granted from now on. There has been a breach of trust," a senior Government source said.
The Sunday Independent has learned that the breach relates to what is known as a 'Phase Three Consent' issued by the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources to SEPIL on July 9, 2002.
That consent specifically authorised some preliminary work including survey and setting out work, erection of right-of-way fencing, the making of trial bore holes, preparation of temporary access roads and the construction of temporary compounds. The permission clearly stated that no other works were to take place without specific approval.
Two officials sent to Belmullet last week found that more than two kilometres of pipeline were actually welded together, which is regarded by the Department as 'installation', a breach of the Phase Three Consent.
The Sunday Independent has learned that Shell wrote to the Department on May 12 last requesting permission to conduct further technical work. The Department acknowledged the request but did not agree to extra works or give any extra consent. They were stunned to discover last week that Shell had gone ahead with even more extensive works.
It is understood that in one weekly report sent in by Shell to the Department, there was a brief reference to "weld testing", and in a subsequent briefing letter there was a second reference to "welding", but the Department believed this was just testing work - merely a slight technical breach of the agreement. They were kept in the dark that more than a mile of pipeline had been welded together.
"There is shock and disappointment that Shell have breached consents at such a sensitive time and we will be monitoring them very, very closely from now on," a senior source said.
In a statement last night, Shell admitted there may have been what it termed "a technical breach" and expressed regret if this was proven to be the case.
"The Company stresses that it has been meticulous in complying with all of the conditions attached to the various consents issued to the project to date. The Company has acknowledged that welding had taken place in the area between the terminal site and the upper river crossing, within the wayleave through Coillte's lands," the statement said.
|