Unlock 1.6 billion barrels of oil asks county councillor

The Irish Government should lift the ban on oil and gas extraction and prioritise the development of the Barryroe oil and gas field off the coast of Cork, a county councillor has insisted.

At Monday’s full meeting of Cork County Council, elected members voted overwhelmingly to write to the Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy, Darragh O’Brien TD, seeking an immediate end to the ban which has been in place since 2021.

The motion, brought forward by Aontú Councillor Peter O’Donoghue, was passed with 32 votes in favour, 3 against, and 5 abstentions.

Delivering his motion, Cllr O’Donoghue told the chamber the war in Iran and the closing of the Strait of Hormuz highlighted the fragility of Ireland's energy supply.

He described the Barryroe oil and gas field as a “strategic asset” sitting in shallow water near existing infrastructure.

Cllr O’Donoghue said: “What many people might not know is that Ireland has much untapped oil and gas around its coasts. One of those oil and gas fields with the greatest potential is Barryroe.

“This oil and gas field is thought to hold up to 1.6 billion barrels of oil and billions of cubic feet of natural gas.”

Whitegate Refinery in East Cork is Ireland’s only oil refinery. With a capacity of 75,000 barrels of oil per day, it can provide 40% of Ireland's fuel requirements.

Cllr O’Donoghue continued: “This is madness in my opinion. It would make far more environmental and economic sense for Whitegate to be supplied with light crude oil from only a few kilometres away than from foreign countries thousands of kilometres away.”

Though widely supported by members, Cllr O’Donoghue’s motion was opposed by Social Democrat councillor Isobel Towse who argued Ireland’s 90 day oil reserve provides sufficient security.

Cllr Towse said: “Opening up Barryroe would only have the potential to make petrol and diesel cheaper if the company that owns the oil field was willing to sell the oil at below market price. But that’s not really an oil company’s ‘jam’.

“What we actually need is to bring down the price of energy and ramp up renewable energy generation.

“We have an absolute abundance of renewable energy sources above the ground that we aren't tapping into,” added the councillor.

Social Democrat Cllr Eamonn Horgan supported Cllr Towse’s stance, suggesting the field might be a “golden goose” that doesn't exist.

He said: “If Barryroe was viable, it would have been tapped into by now.

“Having our own oil will make no difference to the pockets of Irish families,” added Cllr Horgan.

Closing the debate following the vote to pass his motion, Cllr O’Donoghue said: “We’re all for renewable energy but it’s about the transition and the rate of transition. We are for a responsible transition, not a reckless or rushed transition.”