Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 135: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his position with regard to assessment of prospective loss, damage or injury arising from earthquake or tsunami on the Corrib gas pipeline, however unlikely such occurrences may be;; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28568/12]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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I am advised by independent expert consultants engaged by my Department to monitor compliance with the conditions of the Corrib consents under the Gas and Petroleum Acts, that pipelines are normally designed taking account of the largest loads they are likely to experience during their life including, transport, loading, installation and operation. Operational loads include those due to the pressure and flow of the fluid they contain and the externally imposed loads from the environment, both normal and accidental (such as earthquake loading). Normal practice is to design the pipeline to withstand the largest of these loads taking account of the likelihood of extreme events.

I am further advised that in the case of the Corrib pipeline the original design pressure (345 bar) and the forces imposed during laying of the offshore section will have determined the strength and therefore material and wall thickness of the pipe. In the North Sea and North Atlantic regions these loads dominate over the environmental or accidental loadings and provide a margin of safety for any loadings due to earthquakes experienced in the region. The risk of earthquakes of magnitude 5 or more is assessed by British Geological Survey as less than very low, the lowest risk assigned to any area. Earthquakes of magnitude less than 5 in these low risk areas will not give rise to forces on the pipeline greater than their design allows for.

Shell E & P Ireland Ltd (SEPIL) has informed my Department that the Corrib wells and manifold were inspected by a subsea support vessel last week after the earthquake and it has confirmed that there has been no impact on the facilities. A report will follow to confirm this, which will be reviewed by my Department in liaison with its independent consultants. SEPIL has also advised that the observations of the pipeline system during the week confirm that there is no issue with the integrity of the pipeline. The Corrib pipeline is due to be inspected this summer, and survey reports will follow. These reports will also be considered by my Department and reviewed by the consultants.

It should additionally be noted that the Corrib Gas Pipeline is currently at construction phase and that prior to the commissioning and coming into operation of the development, it will be the subject of a safety assessment in accordance with the Commission for Energy Regulation's recently published Petroleum Safety Framework. The development cannot, therefore, be operated without a safety permit issued in accordance with the requirements of this new risk based regime which obliges undertakings to ensure

(i) that any petroleum activity is carried on in such a manner as to reduce any risk to safety to a level that is as low as is reasonable practicable (ALARP) and

(ii) that any petroleum infrastructure is designed, constructed, installed, maintained, modified operated and decommissioned in such a manner as to reduce the risk to safety to a level that is ALARP.