Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is not going to be the saviour of Ireland’s energy challenges, according to Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan.

Speaking at this week’s SEAI Energy Show in Dublin, the minister said that many European countries are seeking alternatives to Russian gas supplies and for a lot of those countries that will mean a switch to LNG.

However, Ireland is in a different position when compared with many European countries.

Sources

He said that only about 2% to 3% of Ireland’s gas comes from Russia, while about 25% comes from the Corrib gas field. The remainder is sourced from the UK and Norway.

“A lot of those Norwegian fields are directly connected to UK and Irish citizens and they won’t be able to switch to the European mainland. The connectivity from the UK to the European market is also very limited with very narrow pipelines,” he said.

He said that even if we wanted to, the idea that LNG is going to be Ireland's great saviour and switching our gas supplies across isn’t likely due to the island's circumstances.