Willie Penrose
Question:58 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the number of companies engaged in drilling activity in the Irish territorial waters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22333/97]
Written Answers - Oil Exploration.
Enterprise Oil Plc have been given approval to drill an exploration well in the Kish Bank basin, of Dublin Bay, and it is expected that drilling will commence shortly. Drilling operations wil be carried out under the company's Standard Petroleum Exploration Licence No. 1/96, which covers a five block area, blocks 33/16, 33/17, 33/18, 33/21 and 33/22. The well will be located in block 33/17 about 18 kilometres due east of Howth Head.
During 1997 three other groups holding offshore petroleum authorisations undertook drilling programmes in the Irish offshore. Statoil, who hold a lease undertaking over the Connemara oilfield in block 26/28 in the Porcupine basin, conducted a two well appraisal programme on the field to determine whether it could be put into long-term commercial production. Statoil concluded, in the light of the results from the two wells, that they would not declare the field commercial. Present indications are that three wells will be drilled in 1998.