THE TAOISEACH HAS denied the Irish government rushed to approve a plan for a floating Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) storage terminal in a bid to appeal to US President Donald Trump. 

Friends of the Earth criticised Taoiseach Micheál Martin over the LNG terminal stating it ignores climate and energy security realities and is a bid to “appease Trump”. 

The US president has threatened to impose tariffs on the European bloc, stating that he wants Europe to buy up more American oil and gas. 

Earlier this month, Cabinet approved the plans for the large vessel that will be able to store and transport LNG and turn it from liquid back to a gaseous state to supply to the national gas network.

It will have capacity for 170,000 cubic metres of LNG, which could supply Ireland’s entire gas demand for seven days.

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When asked to respond to the accusation over the greenlighting of the LNG terminal was a bid to appeal to Trump, the Taoiseach said: 

“Absolutely not. First of all, it was in planning during the term of the last government.” 

He went on to state that officials have made it very clear to government how seriously  vulnerable Ireland is when it comes to energy security. 

“If anything was to happen to gas connectors in terms of the Irish economy, it would not survive a week without some backup and with some energy security. It’s very stark, actually.

“So it’s a fundamental responsibility, nothing to do with timing or this visit or anything like that. We have to have energy security,” said Martin.

“There’s been about six to eight incidents in the Baltics already, so-called accidents. But when a number of accidents happen together, in respect of the undermining of connections, be they gas or be they subsea cables, we simply have to act, and it would be irresponsible, in my view, not to act on the energy security question,” said Martin. 

Environmentalists have spoken out since the announcement of the new LNG terminal approval last year, stating they are “very concerned” that developing new gas infrastructure is a dangerous move at a time when Ireland and the world at large need to be moving away from fossil fuels, not investing more into them. 

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The government has stressed that it will only be used in emergency circumstances.

With reporting by Jane Matthews in Austin, Texas

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