EMEA News
Gibraltar Opposition Accuses Government of Stifling Debate Over LNG Bunkering, Storage Facility
The Gibraltar Social Democrat (GSD) opposition party has accused the Gibraltar government of trying to stifle debate on a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage and bunkering facility, local media reports.
"The Government does not have a mandate to build a LNG operated power station and still less an LNG installation handling bunkering quantities of LNG," GSD said, adding that it would be right for there to be a public debate on the matter.
The comments are the latest in an ongoing dispute between the GSD and the government, in which the government has accused the GSD of being alarmist regarding the safety of LNG.
The GSD, meanwhile, has been calling for "open and transparent" public safety assessments of the LNG plans, while the government has said that LNG bunkering is both safer and cleaner than diesel.
GSD was said to have admitted that any adverse risk associated with the project is low, but maintains that the public should still be "fully apprised" of the consequences of any incidents.
"Particularly when an installation of this kind would not have been built internationally without adequate consultation of those affected on a totally transparent basis," the GSD added.
The party also said that the government was being too hasty with LNG, highlighting last month's speech made by Robin Meech of Marine and Energy Consulting at the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) Regional Forum.
Meech reportedly said large international vessels would not require bunkers for LNG for possibly 15 to 30 years.
"This contrasts sharply with the view expressed by the Government that Gibraltar had to make an immediate decision on LNG Bunkering as a matter of economic imperative," the party said.
"In its most recent communiqué the Government has revised its estimate as to the economic imperative of LNG Bunkering to 5 to 15 years in the future."
Last month, the Gibraltar government accused the GSD of seeming "obsessed" with overplaying the dangers of LNG.
