Port urged not to import fracked gas

City councillors are to write to the Port of Cork urging them to stop any work which will enable the importation of fracked gas.

It comes after a Green Party motion was passed by the council this week which now means that councillors will write to the Port of Cork, as well as the Minister for Communication, Climate Change and the Environment, Richard Bruton, to formally request that they cease any work to “develop facilities in Cork Harbour to enable the importation of liquefied natural gas extracted using hydraulic fracturing in Cork Harbour”.

In 2017 the Port of Cork signed a memorandum of understanding with Next Decade, a US company, which could see the importation of gas from US fracking companies through the port.

During the meeting, Cllr Oliver Moran claimed: “Fracking gas involves injecting water or other liquids deep into the ground to cause rocks to crack open. This process causes geological damage and it releases gases in to the environment. It also has public health effects.”

After the motion was passed, he said: “Making the transition to a low-carbon economy may be difficult, it may involve making hard decisions like this. I’m enormously grateful to my colleagues on Cork City Council for sending this clear message. This city will not be complicit in the off-shoring of suffering involved in making that transition.”

There was one abstention to the motion, from Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy, who said that it “didn’t sit well with him”. The southside councillor described it as “harsh” adding that the council has always had a good relationship with the Port of Cork.

The Port of Cork was contacted by the Cork Independent but a spokesperson said that it would not be commenting on the matter.