Friends of the Irish Environment has launched a judicial review against plans for a 600 MW gas power plant in County Kerry, challenging the project’s environmental credentials and potential climate impact.
The proposed development by Shannon LNG Ltd would be located on a 630-acre site between Tarbert and Ballylongford and includes a 120 MWh battery energy storage system. An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission for the project in March.
The environmental group argues that the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment has significantly underestimated greenhouse gas emissions. They contend that any new source of methane emissions could compromise Ireland’s alignment with its Climate Act.
In their High Court submission, Friends of the Irish Environment highlighted several key concerns:
- The plant could potentially account for one-third of Ireland’s electricity sector’s budgeted emissions in 2030
- Existing gas plant projects already exceed the 2GW target in the National Development Plan
- The development risks imposing additional financial costs on households and potentially requiring emissions cuts in other sectors
“To commit Ireland to further fossil fuel generation when the planned capacity has been met is fundamentally flawed,” said Tony Lowes, director of Friends of the Irish Environment.
The project has received mixed reactions. Local politicians like Kerry TD Norma Foley welcomed it as a potential source of employment, while Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman criticized it as evidence of a “retreat from pro-climate policies.”
The proposed power plant would consist of three turbine halls, each containing two gas turbines with generators and two heat recovery steam generators, featuring 35-metre tall exhaust stacks.
This judicial review represents the latest legal challenge from the environmental group, which previously succeeded in a 2020 Supreme Court case that ruled a governmental climate plan was too vague to meet legal requirements.
The case underscores ongoing tensions between economic development and climate action in Ireland’s energy planning.