A Green Party TD has proposed a ban on liquefied natural gas terminals to stop climate change – even as energy prices soar across Ireland and Europe.
Neasa Hourigan of the Dublin Central constituency has proposed the law “to keep Ireland LNG free.”
“Today I published a bill with Not Here, Not Anywhere, that would deny planning permission for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) infrastructure,” she said.
“The Climate Action Plan 2021 provides a detailed strategy to achieve a 51% reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Building large LNG infrastructure would lock us into a fossil fuel energy model for decades to come.”
The proposed legislation comes as Europe experiences a crippling energy crisis that could last years.
Europe's energy crisis has been years in the making 👇
🪨 Replacing coal plants with intermittent renewables
🇷🇺 Curbing domestic natural gas output boosted dependence on Russia
☢️ Closing nuclear reactorsVia @isiscarol14 @a_shiryaevskaya @E_Krukowska https://t.co/jkgQIfFF5J
— Stephen Stapczynski (@SStapczynski) January 4, 2022
Even before this crisis materialised, the government was warning that Ireland could be experiencing electricity shortages for winters to come.
As energy sources vanish rapidly, a private company, New Fortress Energy, has applied for planning permission to build an LNG terminal in the North of Kerry – a move which would be blocked under Hourigan’s law.
Last month Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that while the government did not support this move, it would not block it either.
“The government is not supporting that project because we believe the future is in renewable energy and hydrogen, but we are not going to block it either,” he said.
“There is a planning process and if the company gets planning permission and can finance its project then it will be able to proceed.”