Government of Gibraltar dismisses GSD’s LNG project opposition

The government of Gibraltar on Tuesday squashed the opposition by the Gibraltar Social Democrats (GSD) on the liquefied natural gas project. 

On August 19, Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, next to Spain, signed a deal with LNG giant Shell for the supply of liquefied natural gas for use in power generation.

The deal also includes the construction of a small regasification unit that will receive, store and re-gasify the LNG arriving by ship for use in Gibraltar’s adjacent gas-fired power plant, which is already under construction.

Commenting on the agreement, GSD on Monday questioned the safety of the present plans and LNG bunkering in the future, adding that the project has been kept behind closed doors.

“An increase in LNG vessels in the Bay will inevitably lead to an increased risk,” GSD noted in its statement, adding that the evidence to support the government’s assessment that these projects are acceptably safe, thus far is lacking.

In his response to the remarks made by the GSD and Trevor Hammond, shadow minister for the environment, in an interview with GBC, chief minister Fabian Picardo stated that the comments are nothing but “exaggeration and scaremongering”.

He stressed that the project matters have been discussed in two public exhibitions and a number of meetings and speeches of ministers in the parliament in which Hammond was present, regarding the progress on the LNG plant.

Picardo stressed that the government will continue to work with Shell on the project to ensure Gibraltar’s energy security.

LNG World News Staff