Published: Mon, 29 September 2025
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MEP for Ireland South and leader of Fine Gael in the European Parliament, Sean Kelly, has today expressed deep frustration at news that the Shannon LNG project will not receive a decision from An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP) until 2026. MEP Kelly described the repeated delays as “absolutely ridiculous and indefensible.”
“Once again, our totally inept planning system has managed to paralyse a project of strategic national importance. These endless delays are undermining Ireland’s energy security, while simultaneously the same chronic problem hold back the expansion of our electricity grid, the roll-out of renewable energy, and the delivery of housing our country so desperately needs. The planning authority continues to be a critical national bottleneck, stifling progress in every area of infrastructure development,” Mr. Kelly said.
The MEP also called on Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, to urgently clarify the Government’s pathway for LNG development in Ireland.
“In March of this year, Government approved the creation of a State-led Strategic Gas Emergency Reserve; a move I welcomed. But the policy as outlined remains ambiguous. We still don’t know if the Government supports competitive market delivery of LNG, ensuring the best value for Irish taxpayers, or if this is to be ring-fenced as a State-only project kept outside market frameworks. This is not a small detail, and the Minister owes it to the public and energy users to spell this out.”
Highlighting the strategic importance of LNG for Ireland, MEP Kelly noted that a second gas entry point is urgently needed:
“Ireland is making good progress towards Net Zero but achieving it could still be 25 years away. In the meantime, we remain dangerously reliant on a single point of import at Moffat. That leaves Irish households and businesses completely exposed to the volatility of European gas markets, which have proven themselves unstable, unpredictable, and far too dependent on the whims of Vladimir Putin in recent years. It would be irresponsibly to allow this continue.”
The MEP called on An Coimisiún Pleanála to expedite its decision and not leave the project to continue in limbo:
“This is not a new project, it has been on the desk of the planning authority for a long time, the so-called complexities have been discussed at length for years. Ireland cannot afford to continue allowing bureaucracy to halt progress. We need investment and diversification, and we need it urgently”, concluded MEP Kelly.
