Jim Higgins
Ceist:23 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications the number of companies carrying out offshore exploration in 1997; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14097/97]
Written Answers - Offshore Exploration.
To date four groups holding offshore petroleum authorisations are drilling or plan to undertake drilling programmes in the Irish offshore during 1997. Total Oil Marine plc commenced drilling an exploration well on 3 July 1997 in block 35/17 in the Porcupine Basin off the south-west coast of Ireland. Marathon plan to drill an exploration well in block 35/30 this year, also in the Porcupine Basin. Current expectations are that the well will commence in late July or early August. Both of those wells will be drilled under Frontier Exploration Licences granted in 1995.
Enterprise Oil plc proposes to drill an exploration well in the Kish Bank Basin, offshore Dublin, and while it has not yet set a definite date for drilling they expect to be in a position to commence towards the end of the year. Statoil, which holds a Lease Undertaking over the Connemara Field in block 26/28, also in the Porcupine Basin, is currently conducting a two well appraisal programme on the field to determine whether it can be brought into long-term commercial production. An essential part of this appraisal work is to produce oil as part of a long-term test from the field over a period of about two months and is expected to begin today.
Four companies have acquired a total of almost 15,000 kilometres of 2D seismic data in the South Porcupine Basin so far this year. Another company is in the process of conducting a 420 square kilometre-3D seismic survey in the Slyne Trough. In addition five companies have plans to conduct further seismic surveys off the west coast of Ireland and in the Celtic Sea within the next few months.