The Government of Gibraltar has dismissed a report from Lloyds Register on the use of LNG as fuel in Gibraltar revealed by the opposition, Gibraltar Social Democrats, funded by a “mystery” backer.
According to the report, “the proposed LNG Terminal Options within the Port of Gibraltar present high risks, some significantly greater than those found to be acceptable for conventional LNG marine storage terminals.”
The government however, noted in a statement that Lloyds Register’s report explicitly sets out how to mitigate the risks involved in the operation of LNG to tolerable levels, confirming the government’s conclusions that with proper planning and mitigation the use of LNG as a power generation and bunkering fuel in Gibraltar is entirely feasible and acceptable to UK standards of risk: to the level of a one in a million year event.
The government added that “the information provided to Lloyds appears to be totally different to the plans which are being assessed by the government. For that reason, the Lloyds report is into a fictional terminal, with assumptions made that are totally different to those which the government is working to.”
Therein lies the problem with the public putting any reliance on the report, adding that the government will be making its own reports into the operation of LNG facilities public when these are finalised and based on actual plans and designs for the facilities in question.
“The government is confident that the reports of its experts will demonstrate that the operation of LNG facilities in Gibraltar, both for bunkering and fuel generation purposes are within the generally accepted levels of risk which we tolerate on a daily basis, namely the one in a million year criteria,” the statement reveals.
The government also called out the Leader of the Opposition, Danny Feetham to disclose the name of the person, persons or entities who have funded the preparation of this report for the GSD.
As the government said, “Feetham has himself disclosed to some that the cost of the preparation of the report has been met by one of the tenderers who failed in their bid to be commissioned to build the new power station.”
The Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo said: “Feetham isn’t making a safety case, he is making a political case.” Picardo adds that the opposition is looking to scare people into voting for them.