Campaigners against a plan to construct gas caverns under Larne Lough were at the High Court in Belfast for a judicial review into the move.
BBC NI agriculture and environment correspondent
A marine licence for the construction plan was approved by Stormont's environment department in 2021.Campaigners say the plan threatens wildlife and creates dependency on fossil fuel at a time when Northern Ireland has a legally-binding target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. It also said that any impact created by the discharge of brine - very salty water - would be confined to a small area at an approved distance offshore, away from Larne Lough.Image caption,The campaigners' barrister said licensing the plan was a significant, controversial and cross-cutting decision that should have required referral to the Stormont executive, not approval from a single minister.
The caverns would hold up to 500 million cubic metres of gas, creating a 14-day energy supply in the event of disruption and representing more than a quarter of the UK's storage capacity.
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