Ireland's Split Picture on Shale Gas Development

A positive regulatory framework awaits shale gas extraction in Ireland, but contradictory environmental rules could muddy the waters, a Dublin conference has been told.

Peter McLay of law firm Matheson said” “We have plenty of regulation in Ireland that could apply to shale. Any fears of a possible ‘wild West’ industry are, in my view, misplaced.”

McLay, an expert on extractive industry regulation, said there was no active shale industry in Ireland at the moment, although potential existed and there was plenty of interest. He spoke Wednesday to an audience of about 40 interested parties including energy industry developers. The regulatory infrastructure was in place, with no industry to handle, he said. “A number of regulatory regimes are sitting, waiting, for the industry to arrive,” he put it.

Ireland has no dedicated shale extraction industry yet, amid concerns about the impact of hydraulic fracturing techniques. The Energy Minister, Pat Rabbitte, said last May that no fracking will be permitted “pending further detailed scientific analyses”.

Shale potential has been identified in various areas, including in counties Mayo, Clare and Kerry. Earlier this year one company, Tamboran, said that tiny county Leitrim alone had enough natural gas to supply Irish needs for 12 years. Tamboran estimated 2.2 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas lay below the surface of north Leitrim.

Nicola Dunleavy, a lawyer specializing in environmental issues, said a plethora of legislation, rules and directives already in place could apply to shale gas developments. It was not completely clear whether the Irish authorities would demand Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) before exploration licences were granted, although they would almost certainly before any extraction work went ahead.

“Legislation in this area is among the most convoluted and confusing [Ireland has],” she said, adding that the country had almost 300 different laws and regulations related to the environment. The national planning authority, An Bord Pleanala, had the discretion to decide whether an important infrastructural process should be ‘”fast-tracked”.

Although it seemed no new legislation was required, Ms Dunleavy said, the advantage of fresh laws for shale extraction was that local people in the communities involved could take “comfort” that issues were being managed.

In recent years a pipeline crossing County Mayo from the Corrib gas field has been controversial, with long and bitter protests by locals and environmentalists.

Further reading: Government committee visits Leitrim