Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 159: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the safety standards which are in place for the residents of Ballinboy, County Mayo, in regard to the gas processing plant that is to be built there by Enterprise Energy Ireland. [4401/05]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has given consent to construct the pipeline. This is essentially permission in principle to proceed with the design process for the pipeline, including the onshore 9 km section. This, in turn, is followed at the installation stage by the issue by my Department of "consents to install" for the various phases of pipelaying. This stage addresses all technical issues including methodology, design, trench depth and so forth. Consent to install was given in 2002 for the landfall section of the pipeline and some site preparation work for the onshore section.

The design of the onshore pipeline is in accordance with international design codes. To this end, my Department commissioned an independent expert to evaluate the onshore pipeline design code. The study addressed design methodology, operating conditions, pipeline corrosion, public safety, welding and testing, pipeline material quality and protection from interference. The recommendations of this evaluation indicated that the design code has been selected in accordance with best public safety considerations and is appropriate for the pipeline operating conditions. Subject to the developers undertaking to comply with a numbers of conditions laid down in the then Minister's approval and consents, the design is generally in accordance with best national and international industry practice and the pipeline is considered to meet public safety requirements.

The pipeline proposals were for a capacity of 375 bar. The maximum capacity which will be used is 150 bar at initial production, reducing substantially over the life of the field. The capacity of 375 bar was allowed for the purpose of providing the best emergency responses in the unlikely event of emergencies arising with the transportation of the gas from the field to the terminal.

In addition, a quantified risk assessment has been undertaken for the onshore section of the pipeline which included a detailed analysis of the risk of damage to the pipeline and consequences of any such damage. This showed that even in the worst case of the pipeline being ruptured and the gas being ignited, the occupants of a building 70 metres away would be safe. The design of the pipeline means that the risk of such an event or any other type of gas escape is infinitesimally small.