Ireland’s Corrib gas field to flow mid-2015
The Corrib field is due on stream in mid-2015 and will cover nearly three-quarters of the Irish republic’s gas consumption -but Corrib’s troubled development history has done nothing to encourage other explorers
After delays totalling 12 years, it might be risky to forecast that the Corrib field’s start-up is in sight - but Shell, the operator, is confident that first gas from the development will be flowing into Ireland’s distribution pipelines in the middle of next year. The five wells, 83 km off the coast of County Mayo, are ready to produce; the tunnel carrying the landing pipeline under Sruwaddacon Bay has been completed; and the processing terminal at Bellanaboy Bridge is being commissioned. When Corrib reaches its peak output - which should be fairly soon after start-up - it will be flowing 3.25 billion cubic metres a year (cm/y), equivalent to 72% of the republic’s gas use last year of 4.5bn
Also in this section
13 March 2026
Brussels is again weighing a cap on gas prices amid the Hormuz crisis, but the measure could backfire by deterring the LNG cargoes Europe urgently needs
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy
