Details of all prospecting licences are reported to the Oireachtas on a six monthly basis and can be found on gov.ie on the ‘Six Monthly Reports to the Oireachtas on Mineral Exploration and Mining in Ireland’ page. Details in these reports include the name of the companies, the counties, the prospecting licence area numbers, and the minerals being explored under the licences.
All Prospecting Licence (PL) applications are made to the Geoscience Regulation Office (GSRO) of my Department in a prescribed manner, including the provision of information on the proposed work to be carried out, the area of interest, and the mineral for which the company wishes to explore. Prior to my granting any licence, and having conducted environmental screening as part of its evaluation of the licence application, the GSRO advertises my intention to do so on gov.ie, at one or more local places (for example local Garda stations and the relevant county council offices) and, importantly, in newspapers circulating within the locality, to allow the public to make submissions on the granting of the Prospecting Licence. The GSRO allows a 30 day consultation period. All valid submissions are considered in advance of a final decision being made on whether to issue the PL.
All mineral exploration activities take place within a framework of Irish and EU legislation that has been implemented to ensure that the environment is protected. The GSRO publishes Environmental Screening Determinations and Decisions related to mineral exploration activities on www.gov.ie/en/publication/7d726-environmental-screening-determinations-and-decisions/. Specifically, in relation to drilling activities in Co. Wicklow, 6 environmental screenings were carried out from 2020 to 2024 for Prospecting Licence numbers 3850, 4032, 2558. Before any drilling can take place, the consent of the relevant landowner or tenant should be obtained by the PL holder.
