Kinsale operation shuts down after producing two trillion cubic feet of gas

IT WAS Ireland's only source of natural gas for years but production has now ceased at the Kinsale gas fields after 42 years. 

The final cubic feet of gas has now flowed through the Inch terminal as PSE Kinsale Energy Limited (KEL) ceased production after producing almost two trillion cubic feet of natural gas – double the original reserve estimate.

KEL has been producing natural gas from its facilities off the Old Head of Kinsale since 1978, with Ballycotton (1991), Southwest Kinsale (1999) and Seven Heads (2003) coming into production later.

In April 2018, the company announced that reserves at the Kinsale Gas Field were depleting and all necessary measures are being undertaken to safely decommission the site.

Gas Networks Ireland Managing Director, Denis O’Sullivan, acknowledged the important role the Kinsale Area Gas Fields have played in powering and heating the nation.

“The Kinsale Area Gas Fields have played a key role in the supply of natural gas to Ireland since 1978, delivering all of Ireland’s natural gas from 1978 to 1995. They were Ireland’s only indigenous source of natural gas until 2015, when Corrib was connected to the network,” Mr O’Sullivan said.

“The Kinsale Gas Fields have been a key source of employment and contributed significantly to the economy, both regionally and nationally. They played a key role in Ireland’s energy needs across homes, businesses and electricity generation, and enabled the development of a national gas network that now supplies over 700,000 customers across the country."

“We have always had a strong working relationship with PSE Kinsale Energy Limited, most recently under the management of CEO Fergal Murphy. We acknowledge the key role Kinsale Energy has played for Cork and for Ireland and wish Fergal and his team continued success as they move to this new phase.” 

The closure of Kinsale leaves the Corrib Gas Field, off the coast of County Mayo, as Ireland’s only indigenous natural gas source on the network, with the remainder of the natural gas supplied via the Interconnectors from Moffat, Scotland.