Shell and its partners in the Corrib natural gas field off the coast of Ireland plan to invest an additional €800 million for the ongoing development of a gas refinery.

The project started early in the last decade in Mayo is expected to contribute a staggering €4.4 billion to Ireland’s economy during its 20-years operational lifespan, according to a new report by Shell.

The final phase of the development is also expected to support 700 direct jobs and a further 750 indirectly between now and 2014.

However, John Monaghan, member of community group Pobal Chill Chomain questioned Shell’s employment figures: “Do these local employment figures include the private security personnel, the majority of whom, I believe, are not from Mayo or even Ireland.”

The Corrib field has so far cost about €3 billion to develop.