Ireland to Ban Onshore Fracking

Onshore hydraulic fracturing is to be banned in the Republic of Ireland, after the Senate passed a law outlawing it on June 28.

The Irish Times reported that this is the first private members’ bill to be passed by both houses during the current minority parliament and means that Ireland will join France, Germany and Bulgaria in having banned fracking.

Northern Ireland (in the UK) banned fracking in 2015 while Scotland then placed a moratorium on its use which it may convert into a ban later this year, in both cases halting potential shale gas exploration activity.

There is little activity onshore Ireland however, the focus being on the conventional offshore: particularly the producing Corrib gas field to the northwest which is operated by Shell, and active exploration in deeper waters in the Atlantic margins, particularly the Porcupine basin to the southwest 

Irish explorer Providence Resources said June 28 that the Stena IceMAX drillship was mobilised from its base in Las Palmas and is due to arrive at the planned 53/6-A well location on July 3 in licence FEL 2/14 operated by Providence (56%) alongside Cairn Energy 30% and UK-Danish firm Sosina 14%.

Total earlier this month secured an option for a 35% working interest in FEL 2/14, exercisable within 60 days of completion of that well, in return for payments to existing licensees; the licence off southwest Ireland includes water depths of up to 2,200 meters and it's believed partners are targeting oil.

Mark Smedley