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Shannon
LNG is
being proposed as an LNG Import Terminal by its owners, New Fortress
Energy, to
receive fracked gas from the one of the world's largest natural gas
fields, the
Marcellus Shale Formation in Pennsylvania, U.S.A. However, comments by
politicians and some individuals from public organisations that the
sources of
gas for the proposed Shannon LNG terminal have not been specified yet
are attempting
to cast doubt over this fact. We
calculate that almost 100% of
the Gas in Pennsylvania is fracked gas
since so-called conventional wells
are also being drilled in shale and also need to be fracked. However,
even if
we take the more conservative approach of only unconventional
wells being fracked, then it is still proven from
official US figures that up to 97.85% of gas in Pennsylvania is fracked
gas. This
paper puts forward the evidence that Shannon LNG is a US fracked gas
import
project.
This
evidence comes from the following
sources:
1. From
the Company itself and it’s
company filings to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on
November
9th, 2018 where
- New
Fortress Energy tells the SEC that
" Certain of our
suppliers employ hydraulic fracturing techniques"
- New
Fortress Energy tells the SEC
"Increased
regulation or difficulty in permitting of hydraulic fracturing, and any
corresponding increase in domestic natural gas prices, could materially
adversely affect demand for LNG and our ability to develop commercially
viable
LNG facilities"
- New Fortress Energy
admits to
the SEC that it "seeks to use “stranded” natural gas to
satisfy the world’s large and growing power needs”[…] “We are currently
developing two liquefiers in the Marcellus area of Pennsylvania, each
of which
is expected to have the capacity to produce approximately 3 to 4
million
gallons of LNG"
- New
Fortress Energy tells the SEC "
Shannon, Ireland – We
have entered into
an agreement to purchase all of the ownership interests in a project
company
that owns the rights to develop and operate an LNG terminal and a CHP
plant on
the Shannon Estuary near Ballylongford, Ireland [...] We
intend to supply all existing and future customers with LNG produced
primarily at our own Liquefaction Facilities. We have one
operational liquefaction
facility in Miami, are currently are currently developing our
Pennsylvania
Facilities and plan to develop five to ten additional liquefaction
facilities
over the next five years"
2. From
the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection
(DEP) 98.23% of Gas produced in Pennsylvania in 2018 was fracked gas
3. From
the US
Energy
Information Administration (EIA) at least 97.85% of Gas produced in
Pennsylvania
in 2018 was fracked gas
4. From
the Methane Life Cycle Scientist
Professor Robert Howarth, Cornell University who informed the
Oireachtas Joint
Committee on Climate Action on October 9th 2019 that “If
Ireland were to
import liquefied natural gas from the United States, it would largely
be shale
gas"
5. From
Richard
Bruton, T.D., the Minister for Communications,
Climate Action
and Environment himself who admitted on RTE Radio on
May 10th 2019 that the gas coming from the US
would be fracked gas
6. From
Business
and Investment Media Reports on the Issue
7. From
Industry
Analysis on the Issue
8.
From U.S. President
Donald Trump on 23rd October 2019 who stated at
the 9th Annual Shale Insight Conference in
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania "
they won’t do any fracking in New York [...]
They don’t do it in New York. Somebody, someday, will explain
why. They
do it in Pennsylvania. They do it in Ohio."
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