Development (Strategic Gas Reserve) Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-07-16
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Alice-Mary Higgins (IND), National University of Ireland

I move amendment No. 17:
In page 14, between lines 23 and 24, to insert the following:
“ Application for exemption to the principal of third-party access
12. The Minister shall, before approval of a designated development, apply to the European Commission for an exemption to Directive 2009/73/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009, concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas and repealing Directive 2003/55/EC1, Article 36(9), providing an exemption to the principal of third-party access.”.
This is refers to a very important danger that has been highlighted to me, which is the danger of third parties seeking the right to access. This is something that can and has been done in other instances in the European Union. States can look for an exemption in the common rules around third party access, saying they explicitly wish to ensure there will not be third party access to this resource. Will the Minister of State apply to the European Commission for an exemption to Directive 2009/73/EC of the European Parliament concerning the common rules and repealing directive and seek an exemption to the principle of third party access for this facility?

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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