asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the present position regarding exploration operations for gas and oil off the coasts of this country.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Oil and Gas Exploration.
17.
There are now 13 companies or groups of companies with exclusive exploration rights in our offshore waters. To date a total of 28 wells have been drilled in the Irish offshore. The 1976 drilling season has been the most active since drilling commenced off the south coast in 1970. A total of six new wells were drilled, three by petroleum consortia who were granted exploration licences this year under the exclusive offshore licensing terms which I published in April, 1975. At the peak of the season, there were four drilling rigs active off the south coast.
Detailed plans for the 1977 drilling season have not yet been finalised by all the offshore operators but I would expect that the high level of exploration activity will be at least maintained not only in the areas where drilling was done this year but also extending to areas off the west coast. This is in keeping with the Government's objective to secure the optimum spread of exploration activity around our coasts within the next few years.
Are there any indications of positive results from these drillings?
The only real satisfactory indication is to poke a drilling bit into a reservoir. This year there was no commercial find. Traces of gas or oil are commonly found and there were some shows this year but there was nothing that was assessed as commercially viable. A great deal of extra information has been received as a result of those bore holes and the interest and optimism in regard to our continental shelf are undiminished. I should like to add that the Norwegians drilled from 1964 to 1969 before they got oil or gas so that a delay of this kind is not indicative of the erosion of hope.
Is all the information of those explorations being made available to the Minister? Can the Minister rely absolutely on this information?
The Deputy is voicing a widely held belief that in some way the State, my people in the Geological Survey Office and myself are being hoodwinked and in that sense I am glad of the opportunity to say that I have looked at this question many times and am satisfied that information is not concealed from us. We are not being mislead. The full log which is electrically and mechanically taken of each well and the cores are totally available to us. I am also satisfied with the level of expertise of those people on the staff of the Geological Survey Office and elsewhere. I am satisfied they possess sufficient expert knowledge to be able to interpret this information.
Are there vacancies on the geological staff in that field?
That is a separate question.
It is related. One can have as much expertise as one wishes but one may not have the men to exercise it.
Can the Minister get some samples of those cores for his own information?
For my own information in that sense they would be worthless but they are available to the staff of the Geological Survey Office.
Of the actual core?
Yes.