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Today's Irish Times:
"Ryan also needs to rethink urgently his opposition to the use of natural gas as an alternative to wind. In the short term gas will be vital to get the country through the fallout from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and even in the longer term, when Ireland can fulfil 100 per cent of its needs from wind, gas will also be necessary as a standby source of energy on days when the wind doesn’t blow.
Last week we even had the absurd position where Ireland declined to join other EU countries in seeking to source temporary floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals as part of an effort to diversify fuel supplies amid the ongoing energy crisis because of Green Party opposition.
Ryan and his colleagues will have some explaining to do if the lights go out in the winter ahead."
Thing is, though, "in the long term" Ryan will be dust. Do you think the Greens will get a look in if we get to 2205 and the next election? Not a chance. He will be for the birds.
Ban on fracking lifted in the UK.
Will this mean Ryan will now refuse to import gas from Britain since it could have been "fracked"?
https://www.mailplus.co.uk/news/224829/opposing-fracking-is-for-luddites-says-rees-mogg-as-he-lifts-ban?collection=13130&&contentLayout=5pm%20Update
What does Ryan mean by a "final decision"?
The only decision Ryan can make is to allow the permission to develop Barryroe.
If he made any other decision, for example, to block it, Providence would sue the government under the "money order" or under the Rockhopper decision over Italy and even if Ryan continues to block Barryroe I suspect, given the name change, that Curran is lining up a court case in the event of a further delay.
"Providence v. The Irish Government" does not sound as good as "Barryroe Offshore Energy plc v The Irish Government" which would focus people's attention on the Barryroe opportunity and put the skids under Ryan.
Three items in the following RTE news link regarding Ireland's energy security with each of which can be listened to by clicking on them can be found at:
https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0919/1324129-energy-security-review/
I suggest the third one under the heading "What should gov. be doing to protect Ireland's energy supplies?" puts paid to Ryan's madcap ideas, including the storage in Kinsale (perhaps) is the most relevant.
It will be pretty hard to avoid the Barryroe name now that the company is changing its name to " Barryroe Offshore Energy plc".
Will it stick in his craw every time Ryan has to say it?
Furthermore, what will happen to EXOLA since it is the legal owner of the 80% shares in Barryroe?
Interesting that the name change was announced on the same day as the CEPA report was issued. Any method in that madness or was it a good move?
Perhaps the request for consultation might get PVR management off their rear ends and make a strong case for the renewal of the license.
I know we can expect the Half Year Results by the end of September as it was last year but perhaps they an use that to tell us then or before then what they are going to do or will it be more "wait and see"
Obviously "Barryrow" a typo and should be "Barryroe".
What we need to do is to submit a message to the consultation email address saying "Renew the license agreement to allow Providence to develop Barryrow".
As it says: Submissions should be sent by email to energyconsultation@decc.gov.ie before 28th of October.
Since it will have to publish the submissions they will have to put the request in the report.
Energy report to be published later today.
I wonder how "independent" it will be or will it be more Ryan fudge?
https://www.midwestradio.ie/index.php/news/60966-report-on-ireland-s-energy-security-will-be-published-later
Ireland fails to apply for funding from EU
https://gript.ie/ireland-one-of-just-two-countries-that-failed-to-apply-for-european-funding-energy-initiative/
According to the report Ireland missed out on The biomethane section of REPowerEU which has a budget of €35bn. Ireland’s potential funding from that budget is estimated at €800m in capital funding, along with a further €1.3bn in future supports."
Are we so rich that we can miss out on such largesse or is it more of Ryan's head stuck up his rear end?
Report does not come cheap.
Here is a report on the costs Ryan had to give following a question .
"The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, has confirmed to Independent TD for Laois Offaly, Carol Nolan, that the report on the review of Ireland’s energy security will be published before the end of 2022."
So now the report has been escalated from the end of the year to tomorrow which is quite a leap. Was this because Ryan was under pressure to get it out?
So it seems it will now be published tomorrow but it has been a very expensive exercise as can be seen from the following.
https://gript.ie/cost-of-report-on-irelands-energy-security-has-reached-e170000/
Norway's hydroelectric is running low so could cut off gas supply to UK as it is needed domestically.
What happens to Ireland if that occurs? Another nail in Ryan's great plans?
https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1669600/norway-first-panic-uk-energy-crisis-biggest-exporter-facing-pressure-cut-off-gas-protests
Review next week according to Ryan's spokeswoman, not this week as "planned". Delayed probably due to disagreements between parties and Ryan.
"The Irish Times asked a spokeswoman for Minister for the Environment and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan if he would allow the use of LNG or FSRUs if recommended by the review. She said the energy review will be published next week and “it’s best to wait until then for further detail on the paper in the round and on the options that it may contain”.
Confusion reigns supreme.
https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2022/09/15/government-left-with-jam-on-its-face-after-eu-over-promises-and-under-delivers/
"Not for the first time, the Government been left with jam on its face after the EU over promised and under-delivered. Over the past week, senior Irish politicians, including Eamon Ryan, were saying a windfall tax on energy companies in Europe, plus a price cap, would be worth €140 billion to the EU States, and possibly €2 billion to Ireland."
But it seems Ireland thought it was going to get about €2billion from the levy on oil companies but it now appears the windfall tax will only be paid where it is collected and where the oil and gas are produced.
Since Ireland does not produce any of its own, other than a dribble from Corrib which is tax free anyway, it will get dolly squat.
One in the eye for Ryan and the Irish Government, I am afraid - not.
"The Cabinet is meeting this morning, with a packed agenda. Already we know some of what will be decided. Green Party leader and Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan will publish a consultation paper on energy security (including suggestions on the controversial topic of storing liquefied natural gas)."
Will Ryan get his way or will his disagreements with Varadkar on LNG for storage be decided on his terms or will he be put back in his box? Hopefully the box.
So is it today when we will hear his solution to Ireland's energy problems?
Providence announced Alan Curran as Providence's acting CEO on 4th July and yet we haven't heard a word from him. Has he got cold feet and run away, by any chance, and they haven't told us?
Has anybody heard what the situation is or is he just taking a big fat salary as he sits on his rear end?
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2022/07/04/providence-names-scottish-based-oil-veteran-as-interim-ceo/
Anybody know anything?
Ryan, at a meeting of the North Seas Energy Cooperation (NSEC) and the the European Commission today contradicts some of the statements made with Varadkar.
He did say the "consultant’s study on energy storage options would be delivered this week. It will look not just at gas but also at other forms of storage, such as battery, he said."
And he reiterated the state owning the storage solution but he kiboshed "fracked gas" saying as follows:
"He said that in terms of gas storage, the direction would be towards the State managing the storage rather than private companies. Sources also said that the gas stored would be existing forms of natural gas, from the Corrib field and also from the UK. It will not include fracked gas, nor will there be a need for a facility to process it. A proposed LNG terminal on the Shannon Estuary has been fiercely opposed by leading Green Party representatives."
So, the Greens have obviously got to him since his joint statement with Varadkar where "fracked" gas was part of the solution.
Less than a week before we know who and what is going to "store" all that gas we need for supply and backup and since Corrib produces only 67% of Ireland's gas needs where will it get the gas to put into "storage"?
It seems Varadkar and Ryan were on Morning Ireland and it seems the opposition to LNG and storage were now regarded as "the sensible thing to do".
So, is it a rock and a hard place for Ryan of either LNG or indigenous supply?
Quote:
"Earlier, the Tánaiste said it “makes sense” for Ireland to have liquified natural gas (LNG) storage and the Environment Minster Eamon Ryan will bring forward storage proposals in the coming weeks.
It comes as Minister Ryan and the Green Party have strongly rejected proposals to install an LNG terminal at Shannon Airport.
Mr Varadkar said Ireland is fortunate to have “good energy security” via the Corrib gas fields and the pipeline from the UK and Norway, but adding storage is the “sensible” thing to do. “So, to me it makes sense that we should have LNG energy storage. How you do that is a matter for debate, but Minister Ryan will be bringing forward proposals in the next couple weeks as to how we can achieve that."
Not only that, but Ryan is proposing an Irish storage facility owned by the country. We will be told, they tell us, in the next week or so.
Is Ryan finally being told what to do rather than making up policy on the fly?
We will wait for his suggestions as to how he is going to implement his "storage strategy".
https://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/world/energy-crisis-eamon-ryan-to-present-lng-storage-proposals-in-coming-weeks-as-eu-ministers-meet-today-on-emergency-plan/ar-AA11Djx5
Ryan is proposing a state owned gas storage facility but where is he going to get the gas to fill it?
"A state-owned gas storage facility will “be available to Irish people in the event of any supply disruption”, Eamon Ryan told a meeting of European energy ministers on Friday."
Kinsale is mentioned as one possibility but Barryroe sits below Kinsale so surely it would make sense to fill Kinsale from Barryroe?
And an interesting item from Kinsale Energy says: " Kinsale Energy operated the first and, to-date the only, offshore Gas Storage facility in Ireland". I presume this is still true so it makes sense to use Kinsale again but with the proximity of Barryroe surely the two go together.
We wait with bated breath to hear what Ryan is going to say on the matter since, according to him he will, "shortly publish an energy security review" or is this another "pigs might fly" episode?
https://www.businesspost.ie/politics/state-owned-gas-facility-will-not-breach-climate-targets-ryan/
You might have seen this before but the status quo is still the same today as in June when the Independents had this press conference and nothing positive has happened in the meantime except things have got worse thanks to Ryan and the Green party.
https://gript.ie/were-in-the-beginnings-of-a-recession-stark-warning-from-rural-tds/