With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle I propose to take Questions Nos. 46, 47 and 48 together.
I have explored with the oil companies and other parties the possibilities of securing oil from production sources. A number of offers of varying degrees of credibility have reached my Department through various channels. They all involved large amounts, high prices and long-term contracts.
The Whitegate refinery has a total throughput of about 2¾ million tons a year. Supplies of crude throughout the crisis have not dropped below 80 per cent and are at present at 100 per cent. It would not be possible, therefore, to process any significant quantities of crude oil through the Whitegate refinery.
Even if quantities of crude which the Irish market could absorb in refined form, could be obtained and refined abroad it would still be necessary to provide for their importation and distribution through commercial channels which possess the necessary storage and distribution facilities. It was stated to be a condition of the various offers which reached me that oil should not be handled by any of the major oil companies. In general, none of the proposals which I have investigated so far appeared to offer a practical prospect of securing additional supplies at tolerable prices and without the danger of prejudicing supplies through normal channels.
The proposal was that the Government should enter into a five-year contract for the purchase of five million tons of crude oil per annum at a price corresponding to then current reported prices for participation oil, that is oil sold by Arab states to independent customers, but alleged to be capable of negotiation downwards. There was also to be a brokerage fee of $2 per barrel. It was claimed that the refining of the oil could be arranged abroad and products not required by Ireland bought back by the promoters of the deal. The Government would thus be committed to trading in oil products to the value of some £150 million per annum under a five-year fixed price contract which included commission to the brokers of some £30 million per annum.
Were it practicable at present to provide additional supplies of products for the Irish market by the purchase of crude oil from producing states I am confident that we would be able to deal direct with them in the matter.