Senior judges held that plans to construct caverns under Larne Lough were so significant and controversial that Edwin Poots was under a legal duty to bring the issue to the attention of the power-sharing administration. In a victory for environmental campaigners opposed to the project, Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan highlighted the scheme's potential impact of locking Northern Ireland into fossil fuel dependency for the next 40 years. Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to NorthernIrelandWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.
She said: “The Ministerial decision as it stands, effectively means that this gas storage proposal is not deemed a significant and controversial project. “This is a decision which we find to be irrational for reasons..
. including the interface with climate commitments in Northern Ireland.” A further hearing will determine what happens next for the proposed development in light of the identified breach of the Ministerial Code.
In 2021 Mr Poots gave consent for the scheme by Islandmagee Energy Ltd. Advertisement Advertisement It involves carving seven large underground caverns at a depth 1,350m below sea level by a process known as solution mining. Located within special protection and conservation areas, the project is expected to last for 40 years.
The units would then be decommissioned at the end of their lifespan. Local campaign group No Gas Caverns and Friends of the Ear.
