Corribgas update

ISSUE 30. OCTOBER 2010

An Bord Pleanála’s resumed oral hearing into SEPIL’s application for strategic infrastructure consent for the Corrib onshore pipeline concluded on Oct 1 following a thorough examination of all the issues relating to the revised route through Sruwaddacon Bay.

A team of more than 40 expert witnesses from Ireland, the UK, Netherlands and Germany provided evidence to the hearing which was presided over by the Inspector Martin Nolan. Under the new proposal, the nearest occupied house is now 234 metres away from the pipeline, more than three times the original distance.

During 22 days of hearings, submissions by groups opposing the revised pipeline route were made by, among others, Shell to Sea, Pobal Chill Chomáin, Pobal Le Chéile and An Taisce. Supportive submissions were made by local contractors on the terminal, Belmullet GAA, Erris Tourism, Pro Gas Mayo and IBEC West.

At the conclusion of the hearing Corrib Project Director, Gerry Campbell stated: “The expert evidence presented to the hearing over the past six weeks, shows that the risk from the proposed pipeline is no greater than that posed by existing gas transmission pipelines across Ireland.

“The Corrib onshore pipeline has a higher level of safety than would normally be required because the pipeline’s design factor is lower and its wall thickness is considerably greater than that required by the internationally accepted codes.”

SEPIL proposes to tunnel under the Bay to minimise environmental impact on the Bay which is in a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a Special Protection Area (SPA).

Oral hearing into onshore pipeline application ends

Speaking on behalf of six local contractors who employ 148 workers at Bellanaboy, Brendan Hegarty said: “Our support for this project in not based on technical expertise related to the design or construction of pipelines. It is based on our experience of working on the project in recent years and our experience of Shell and their high professional standards, in particular the emphasis they place on safety.”

Terry Nolan MD SEPIL said the company was committed to ongoing community engagement through its team of Community Liaison Offi cers in the area and would continue its investment in the future of the Erris community. “The Corrib Gas Partners remain fully focused on completing this strategically important development to the benefi t of all stakeholders locally and nationally,” he added.

Operations team moves into terminal administration blockThe administration block, one of the fi nal major construction jobs on the Bellanaboy terminal, is substantially completed and is now home to the terminal operations team.

The building was designed by Dublin Architect, Michael V Cullinane, and includes an administration block, offi ce block, laboratory, canteen and staff facilities, terminal IT centre, warehouse and work shop.

The contractors, Kilcawley Construction, also had the contract for a further seven buildings including the Local Equipment Room, the Waste Water Treatment Building, the Sales Gas Compressor Building, the Power Generation Building, the Fire Water Pump Building, the Selective Catalytic Reduction Building and the Control Building.

“The experience gained by Kilcawley Construction working on the Corrib Gas Project, which was the largest construction site in Ireland with the highest requirements in Health and Safety, Environment and Quality has greatly enhanced this company and gives us a wealth of expertise which we can use in future projects,” said Brendan Henry, Director Kilcawley Construction.

Picture shows Brendan Henry, Kilcawley Construction, Darryl Gill (lead HSE advisor) and Paul Hughes (Terminal Site Manager) with the administration block in the background.

Brendan Hegarty (centre) made a submission to the oral hearing on behalf of six local suppliers and contractors working on the Bellanaboy terminal including Cathal Shevlin (left) and Paddy Joe Barrett.

July 2010 LGP Applications

Ten Erris students offered Corrib natural gas scholarshipsThe successful applicants under the 2010/2011 Corrib Natural Gas Third Level Scholarship Programme have just been announced. There was a total of 65 applications for the ten scholarship places.

The winning applicants are as follows:• Sean Gaughan (Our Ladyʼs Secondary School) • Shannen Gaughan (St Brendanʼs College)• John Hanley (Our Ladyʼs Secondary School)• Johnny Lavelle (St Brendanʼs College)• Fergus McDonnell (St Patrickʼs, Lacken Cross)• Elaine Ní Gharbháin (Coláiste Chomáin)• Christopher Noone (St Brendanʼs)• Laura O’Donnell (Our Ladyʼs Secondary School)• Patrick Timlin (Coláiste Chomáin)• Fiona Walsh (St Patrickʼs, Lacken Cross)

This is the fi rst round of a new three-year cycle of the Corrib Natural Gas Scholarship Programme. Unlike the previous programme, which was restricted to seven course disciplines, this year, the programme was opened up to all students completing their Leaving Certifi cate in any of the four eligible schools.

Another innovation this year was the introduction of a themed essay as well as a personal essay. The theme of the essay was: Erris as Ireland’s energy hub of the future.

Mr Seán Staunton, chairman of the scholarship board, congratulated all the applicants to the programme on the quality of their applications.

“We introduced a number of changes into the scheme this year. We opened it up to all Leaving

Cert students in the four colleges and we introduced the idea of the themed essay. We were pleasantly surprised to note the quality of the essays and it was great to see that there was an increase in the number of applications this year.

“Once again the standard of applications was extremely high and all of the applicants are to be congratulated for taking part in the process,” said Mr Staunton.

The scholarships are valued at m4,000 per year for the duration of the courses chosen and must be taken up in the year in which they are offered.

The members of the Scholarship Board are Mr Staunton; Mrs Breda Holmes (Doohoma); Fr Kevin Hegarty (Carne); Mr Ian McAndrew (Belmullet) and Mr Tony McGarry (Killala).

SEPIL sponsors NISO annual safety awardsShell E&P Ireland Limited (SEPIL) was one of the main sponsors of the safety awards presented at the annual conference of the National Irish Safety Organisation in Athlone last weekend.

The awards scheme, which is supported by the Construction Industry Federation, is now in its 19th year and provides entrants with the opportunity to showcase areas where they demonstrate best practice in their approach to health and safety management.

According to NISO president Pauric Corrigan the overall aim of the awards scheme is to improve companies’ health and safety performance. “Ultimately this will have positive knock-on effects for the health and safety of all workers,” he said.

The company sponsored the President’s awards and SEPIL MD Terry Nolan presented the awards to the winners of the following fi ve categories:

• Overall small company award (less than 50 employees)

• Overall medium company award (50-100 employees)

• Overall large company award (over 100 employees)

• Overall construction award• Overall new entry award.

Members of the SEPIL Health, Safety and Environmental team were in attendance at the NISO annual conference to provide information on the company’s safety policies and to answer queries about the Corrib gas project. Pictured are: (l to r) Geoff Hynes, Hugh Hardiman, Davina Bourke, Sean Coffey, Claudia van den Berg, Sarah Gallagher, Leo Brogan and Brian Moore.

Local Grants Programme: July 2010 round of fundingApplications to the July round of funding under the Erris Local Grants Programme (LGP) are currently being assessed and payments will be made before the end of the year.

In total there were forty applications received under the July round while 81 applications were received in the January round, making a total of 121 applications for 2010. The breakdown of applicants by parish was as follows:

The Local Grants Programme is funded by Shell and contractors on the Bellanaboy Bridge Gas Terminal. The scheme is now in its third year and to date approx m1.2m has been allocated.

The next round of funding will commence in the early months of 2011. For 2011 the Local Grants Programme will have a single round of funding and will be under the control of the independent board of the Erris Development Fund.

• Kilcommon (4)

• Kilmore (2)

• Belmullet (5)

• Kiltane (10)

• Ballycroy (2)

• Erris-wide (9)

• Outside Erris (8)

Terry Nolan, MD SEPIL, presents one of the President’s Awards to Ms Kiara O’Hara, EHS Specialist from Lake Region Medical, Ireland Ltd. Also in photo are Pauric Corrigan, President NISO and Deputy Mary O’Rourke.

Integrity testing of terminal completedThe integrity testing of the hydrocarbon systems on the Bellanaboy Bridge gas terminal has been successfully completed.

Nitrogen-Helium (N2He) testing is carried out on gas terminals to ensure that the facilities and systems are leak tight. In the construction of a terminal there are some areas in pipework, fl anges, joints etc where leaks might occur. The test is used is to ensure that hydrocarbon gas won’t leak when it is introduced into the relevant parts of the terminal.

Helium is an inert gas. It has a smaller molecule than methane and N2He is a well tried and tested method of ensuring the pipework and vessels are leak-tight. The process involves pressurising sections of the system with the nitrogen-helium mixture and then checking the joints. When the testers are satisfi ed that a section is leak-free that section is vented down.

Back feed gas The plan is now to complete construction activities

Borehole survey of Sruwaddacon bay draws to a closeSEPIL will shortly complete its borehole survey of the Sruwaddacon Bay estuary, which commenced on July 20. The process of demobilising the drilling equipment has commenced and one of the jack-up barges has been removed to Ballyglass where it is moored some distance off the pier.

Two jack-up barges, equipped with drilling rigs, and a shallow water workboat were used in the operation, which collected soil samples and data to be used the detailed design of the tunnel proposed for the onshore pipeline through Sruwaddacon Bay.

The geotechnical survey programme was carried out under a foreshore licence issued by the

Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government earlier this year.

Samples were extracted from a number of locations and the geotechnical data collected will now be analysed and will inform the design and engineering of the tunnel under the bay.

Details of the tunnel proposal were included in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) submitted by Shell in response to An Bord Pleanála’s request for further information in respect of the application for the onshore section of the pipeline and has been central to the oral hearing that concluded in Belmullet last week.

The second of the jackup barges used in the survey

will be moved out of Sruwaddacon Bay into inner Broadhaven Bay when there is a suitable weather window.

The jack-up barges are expected to be dismantled locally at Ballyglass pier over the next number of weeks.

Five further land-based boreholes are currently being drilled.

Sil Draaisma, pipeline construction manager, said the drilling programme in the bay had been a success. “We are pleased with the outcome and are confi dent we now have the information we need to proceed with the detailed design of the tunnel,” he added.

Hegarty Electrical secures ISO accreditationHegarty Electrical Contractors, who have been part of the Bellanaboy Bridge construction team for the past four years, have been awarded ISO accreditation in Quality Management Systems and Occupational Health and Safety.

The ISO awards are global ratings developed by the International Organisation for Standardisation and provides an international reference for quality management requirements as well as monitoring the regulatory obligations of the company’s business.

The accreditations demonstrate the company’s effi cient and reliable working procedures and refl ect a continued dedication to ongoing improvements in carrying out their contracts on

the Bellanaboy site.

Brendan Hegarty, Managing Director Hegarty Electrical said he was extremely proud of the achievement and gave credit to “a dedicated and hard working team” for securing the accreditation.

“We continue to monitor and update our procedures and systems and strive to make a safe, high quality and environmentally friendly workplace for our staff,” he said.

He also paid tribute to Shell and Project Management (PM) “for providing the opportunity to develop our management, safety and quality control systems and then assisting and mentoring us in achieving those standards.”

Pictured (l to r) are Stephen Ruane, Brendan Hegarty and Stephen Sweeney with their ISO certifi cation.

and function test some of the equipment at the terminal throughout the remainder of 2010.

In 2011, gas from the BGÉ network will be introduced into the terminal so that hydrocarbon systems can be function tested.

Mark Carrigy, Shell’s Mayo Manager, said: “Additional resources have been mobilised and we will introduce gas from the national grid to the terminal in early 2011 so as to complete function testing of the Bellanaboy Bridge gas terminal.”

Integrity testing of terminal completed

Professional Profi le – Karina Carey, Financial Controller

For more information contact: Christy Loftus, Corrib Project Information Offi ce,Belmullet, County Mayo. Tel. 00 353 (0)97-27100

Name: Karina Carey Title: Financial Controller Native of: Carne, Belmullet

Where did you go to school? Corclough NS & Our Lady’s Secondary School, Belmullet

What did you study at third level and where? I completed a BA in Accounting & Finance and a Masters in Accounting at Dublin City University.

What did you want to be when you were at school? Like most little girls, I always wanted to be a teacher when I was in national school. However, when I went into secondary school, I found that I really liked Maths and Accounting, so the natural progression was to chose an accounting degree for college.

Sport also played a big part in your life growing up. Tell us about your experiences on the soccer and Gaelic football fi elds of Mayo. I started playing football in national school and then joined Belmullet GAA at U-14 level. We were the fi rst ladies team in Belmullet GAA and I continued right up to Senior Level. I played soccer through secondary school and for both Erris Utd. & Kilmore Ladies FC. I also represented Mayo Ladies in both sports, which was a great experience. I made great friends over the years through both soccer and gaelic, and the teamwork skills which I learned over this period, has helped me greatly in my current role.

What was your fi rst job? During holidays in secondary school, I worked for two summers as a lifeguard in Shore Road tidal pool in Belmullet. I really enjoyed this job, as it was great being

I enjoy the variety of the work. I may be involved in statutory audit one week, and the next on taxation matters. There are also opportunities to get involved in other non-fi nance areas of the business also.

What is the most challenging part of your job?Working remotely with international colleagues can be challenging at times. Whilst technology has come a long way to ensure effective communication, it is vital to understand and appreciate the cultural differences which exist between different countries. Visiting an external location for a face to face meeting helps greatly in understanding cultural differences and building a good relationship with your colleagues globally.

What advice would you give to anyone considering a career in accounting?Do it! If you are pursuing a professional qualifi cation, it can take up to seven years, which may seem a long time. However, it is worth it in the end, and there are great job opportunities, both at home and abroad. Even in this economic downturn, accountants will always be required. Accountancy is a great foundation, and there are opportunities to move into other areas of business.

What has been the highlight of your career to date? The highlight of my career so far, has been receiving my chartered accountancy qualifi cation. To obtain this professional qualifi cation, it took seven years, from when I fi rst went to college. The most diffi cult part, I found, was trying to complete the fi nal admitting exam, whilst working in practice. It was diffi cult to fi nish a day’s work and then have to face into the books. It was a very happy day when I received my results, and realised I could put the books away, for a while at least.

The Ballina based driver training company, Gills Fleet Training Services, has won an overseas contract to provide defensive driver training on a major construction project in the Shetlands.

Gills were retained on the Bellanaboy terminal project for the past three years and put more than 1,000 drivers through their defensive driver training programme.

The programme which provides both theory and practical training is designed to create greater awareness of road safety and to develop good driving practices.

David Marsh, general manager of Gills fl eet training services, said last week the company has won a contract with Roadbridge to provide a defensive driving course on a major project in the Shetlands.

“There is no doubt the experience gained and the contacts made on the Bellanaboy terminal were a key factor in winning this contract,” said David Marsh.

“There are few major projects being developed here at present and our training services was just ticking over. The contract will keep us busy for some time. We are very pleased to have won it.”

Gills win Shetlands contract

David Marsh, General Manager Gills Fleet Training Service

outdoors all summer. I was fortunate enough to get two (rare) hot summers, which made the job all the more enjoyable.

Where else have you worked and in what roles? Before I joined SEPIL, I worked as a trainee accountant in a medium sized accountancy practice in Galway. I really enjoyed this role, and found it a great learning experience, as I gained experience in many areas of accounting, taxation, payroll and audit.

What is the role of a Financial Controller on this project? My role is to oversee the fi nancial reporting, budgeting, business planning and statutory audit process. This includes group monthly and quarterly reporting, overhead budgeting and analysis, to identify opportunities for cost reductions and meeting budget targets. I am also responsible for ensuring SEPIL’s compliance with its taxation fi ling requirements. In recent years, I have been involved in training offshore staff, who are involved in many of our processes.

What aspect of your current job do you most enjoy?

Karina Carey, Financial Controller