Strategic Gas Emergency Reserve

Ireland imports around 80% of its natural gas via two interconnectors from Great Britain, a dependency that will grow as indigenous supplies decline. If an interconnector failure were to occur, there would be severe disruption to heating and electricity to homes and businesses for an extended period of up to several months.

The Strategic Gas Emergency Reserve will mitigate this critical risk by providing access to an alternate gas source, via the global Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) market.

Liquified natural gas (LNG) is natural gas cooled to a liquid state to better facilitate transportation and storage, as it requires less space than gaseous natural gas. If the supply is needed, heat will be added to raise the temperature in a process called regasification. Regasification can occur at onshore terminals, offshore facilities like floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) or specialised ships.

The Strategic Gas Emergency Reserve (SGER) is designed as a temporary solution, it will be in place for as long as the Irish energy system requires it. Natural gas backs up intermittent renewables on our electricity system. When Ireland has progressed its transition to renewable energy sources and no longer faces a risk of disruption to gas supplies, the FSRU will sail away, and the state-owned jetty and onshore facility can be repurposed for other uses.

The Strategic Gas Emergency Reserve (SGER) is designed to support Ireland’s energy needs throughout a sustained disruption of up to several months, by allowing continuous resupply and regasification until normal gas supplies are restored. The SGER will ensure Ireland is compliant with the EU N-1 infrastructure standard and provides resilience in the event of a major outage.

For the Strategic Gas Emergency Reserve (SGER), natural gas will be safely stored as Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) onboard a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU). LNG will be stored at cryogenic temperatures in specially designed insulated tanks onboard the FSRU, in line with strict international safety standards.  

• FSRUs are a proven and safe technology, with approximately 50 in operation globally as of 2025;
• Ireland as a country maintains high standards for industrial and gas safety, independently regulated by the Health & Safety Authority and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities;
• Gas Networks Ireland has an excellent safety record which benchmarks highly with European peers.

The Strategic Gas Emergency Reserve (SGER) will be developed in line with Ireland’s safety and environmental laws and is being designed to minimise environmental impacts. There will be a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) before any construction begins, and the facility must comply with all relevant planning, maritime, and environmental regulations.

In the event of a gas supply emergency, the National Gas Emergency Manager (NGEM) is responsible for deciding how gas is allocated, this includes from the Strategic Gas Emergency Reserve (SGER). The NGEM role is held by Gas Networks Ireland (GNI), as appointed by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU). Decisions on who receives gas are made according to the Natural Gas Emergency Plan (NGEP), which sets out detailed procedures for emergency planning and operational response and is publicly available on the GNI website.

GNI is conducting site assessments at multiple locations in Cork Harbour and the Shannon Estuary. A preferred site is expected to be announced in late 2025.