Development (Strategic Gas Reserve) Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-07-16
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Timmy Dooley (FF), Clare

I thank the Senators and, as I have said, I recognise their bona fides and their good faith. Any application for approval to carry out designated development under this process will be subject to environmental impact assessment and appropriate assessment. Key features of this process are a public notice of an application and publication of the application, as well as public consultation on the contents of the application. Members of the public and designated authorities may also make submissions and observations as they would to the Minister relating to the determination of an application by the Minister, and these submissions must be considered when the Minister is making a decision on an application for designated development under the Bill.
A robust, fit-for-purpose gas safety framework is essential to protect lives and property, and it is of the utmost priority as we seek to deliver the strategic gas emergency reserve. Liquified natural gas is one of the main methods used for storing natural gas, and it is a method deployed at scale internationally and subject to thorough international and EU legislation and regulation.
On the point about consultation, on Tuesday of next week I have organised for members of the local community to meet with Gas Networks Ireland, GNI, which is very much part of that engagement. It rightly recognises that there will be concerns about a large-scale project like that. GNI had a number of engagements in the local community where its representatives were available for a number of hours in the evening to allow people to come and chat through their concerns. That is advancing with the committee that has been established because like any other major piece of critical infrastructure, there is a community benefit fund and we need to look at that for the next piece of legislation in terms of how that is recognised, whether it be statutorily or otherwise. I certainly would favour that piece of it. There is also then the putting in place of the appropriate governance that is necessary to manage whatever that funding stream is to assist the community and see some benefit and gain for it. That is very much part of our thinking there, so we are aligned on that. I will not be able to take the amendment but I get the spirit of what the Senators are at.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-07-16/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:52:17+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-16