I propose to take Questions Nos. 796 to 799, inclusive, together.
Ireland has a single, privately owned, refinery in Whitegate, Cork. The owners, Phillips66, have been involved in a sales process in respect of the refinery for the last number of months. The Whitegate refinery is a fully privatised facility and its sale is a commercial matter between Phillips66 and a potential purchaser.
The Government views the continued operation of the Whitegate refinery on a commercial basis as highly desirable from an energy security and economic perspective. Security of supply remains a fundamental tenet of our energy policy and our overarching strategic energy security objectives are set out in the White Paper “Ireland’s Transition to a Low Carbon Energy Future” published last December.
Under the terms of the 2001 Sale and Purchase Agreement entered into when the State sold the refinery in 2001, a legal obligation existed on the owners to continue to operate the refinery until at least July 2016. This obligation was a minimum legal requirement and is separate from the refinery licence.
Phillips66 has provided broad general updates to my Department about the status of the sale. However all commercial matters have been confidential between Phillips66 and interested parties; Phillips66 advise that the sales process is on-going.