Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Chair asked about the Tellus project and she is right. There has been a reduction in the forecast to 6,000 km in 2017 because the works in 2017 have taken place in Galway and Mayo, much more mountainous terrain and prone to inclement weather conditions. Low-flying aircraft need clear skies so there were time delays in the work.

Deputy Smith asked about oil. Energy security deserves a full debate and my Department has been in contact with the Chairman of the committee in this regard. Subject to the work programme, the subject deserves fuller research in the context of renewables, oil and gas and offshore exploration. The licence was signed by me in July. A lot of research is held in the Department on active licences, and the 2015 Atlantic oil and gas exploration licensing round was launched in June 2014, which opened all Ireland's major Atlantic basins, Porcupine, Goban Spur, Slyne, Erris, Donegal and Rockall, for licensing. The form of petroleum authorisation on offer was a two-year licensing option, and 43 applications were received from 17 companies by the close of the round in September 2015. As at 30 June 2017, there were 65 extant and active offshore petroleum prospecting licences, licensing options, exploration licences, lease undertakings and petroleum licences. An application to drill from Providence Resources was also received and the overall assessment of the proposed exploration well comprised three key elements: a technical review of the proposals, undertaken by the petroleum affairs division of the Department; an environmental review, undertaken by BEC Consultants, an independent consultancy appointed by the Minister; and a financial review to ensure compliance with section 22 of the Petroleum (Exploration and Extraction) Safety (Amendment) Act.

First of all, no oil or gas was found at that site, which has now been plugged. The drilling ship has left and the survey has ended. No application for approval to drill will be granted unless the Commission for Energy Regulation has issued a safety permit and approved a safety case and the Irish Coast Guard has approved an emergency response plan and an oil spill contingency plan. The marine safety policy division of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, the Irish Coast Guard, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority, the Marine Institute, the Department of Defence, the Department of Justice and Equality, An Garda Síochána, the Health and Safety Authority, the Commission for Communications Regulation, the Commissioners of Irish Lights, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Irish Aviation Authority, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the underwater archaeological unit of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht are notified in the case of any application to grant approval to drill. Permission to place a temporary well head and associated infrastructure on the seabed is also sought under section 5(2) of the Continental Shelf Act 1968.

I would like to comment on the larger question. I appreciate that we got cross-party support for the Petroleum and Other Minerals Development (Prohibition of Onshore Hydraulic Fracturing) Bill 2016, which was proposed by Deputy McLoughlin. During all debates on the Bill, I said we do not support a prohibition on offshore fracking or on offshore oil exploration. This is an issue of energy security in the first instance. If oil or gas were discovered anywhere off the coast, it is likely that it would take a decade for that oil or gas to be brought onshore. Even if it were never brought onshore, the knowledge of its presence would provide energy security in an uncertain world.

The Government's energy White Paper acknowledges that irrespective of everything that is going on, Ireland will continue to rely on fossil fuels until 2050. At present, 45% of our energy usage comes from natural gas. While much of that gas is imported, some of it comes from the Corrib field. The Kinsale and Seven Heads fields are winding down and will cease production soon. This country is continuing to rely on natural gas, in particular, to meet its energy requirements. In the absence of the knowledge that we have an offshore source of natural gas, which would provide energy security for this country, we rely on imports from Norway via the UK, which could become more complicated as a result of Brexit. We have to look at the energy interconnector to France that may be in the pipeline up to 2025. That would mainly import nuclear energy from France. There is a wider debate to be had about energy security, the use of oil and gas and the question of renewables. All the information about licensing is provided on the website. I am aware that additional information about the application has been provided since the granting of permission for the well. I hope the committee will engage in research about energy security. It should bring in representatives of industry, Friends of the Earth, An Taisce and the international energy authority to discuss fully what is happening on a global scale and on an Irish scale with regard to oil and gas use.

Senator O'Reilly asked about mining. I passed on information about the current application in his local area to him and to other Members of the Oireachtas yesterday. There are legacy issues relating to mines. Thankfully, the level of environmental requirements to be met by any new application surpasses anything that has happened in the past. Notwithstanding the legacy issues in places like Avoca and Silvermines, we should also look at the exemplary Boliden operation at Tara Mines near the Senator's locality, which employs more than 500 people. The highest environmental regulations are observed at the mine in terms of safety, resources and the tailings facilities. The application in the Senator's locality is at an early stage of advancement. It is an application for a prospecting licence rather than an application for mining. For mining to happen, a full planning process involving environmental assessments and, most likely, oral hearings will have to be completed. Under new regulations, remediation of mining sites is part of any planning application. Any company that may be granted a mining licence in the future has to provide a fund to ensure some of the problems that arise in this industry can be remediated. We are familiar with the problems that have arisen in the past at Silvermines, Avoca and other sites.

Deputy Lawless spoke about the circular economy, which we supported in the recent minerals development Bill. On the question of looking again at old sites, I have expressed concerns about the practicality of such a move rather than the concept itself. As it happens, I went to Silvermines last Monday to attend a public meeting of the community there, which is dealing with legacy issues in the locality. The Department is engaging with the community and spending money on remediation. I suggest that any talk of looking again at tailings facilities with a view to reactivating them should be considered with caution. There would be huge opposition to any suggestion that the tailings facilities in Gortmore, for example, could be remined. During the 1980s and 1990s, local people endured wind blows and felt that they suffered the impacts on human and animal health and on farms. I appreciate that the amendment we proposed was supported by the Irish Centre for Research in Applied Geosciences. I know the Deputy has done a lot of research with the centre. This could certainly be considered on a small scale. Any proposal would have to be contingent on public support in the local community before it could be looked at. I will get the Deputy a fuller update on the steps that have been taken to date.

I will also have to look for an update on the oceanography institute because I do not have the latest information. The Marine Institute is doing exceptional work as part of the INFOMAR project, which involves important work to update the seabed mapping programme. A great deal of the offshore work has been done. There is now a concentration on inshore work, which is slower and more complicated. This project will provide us with some valuable information, particularly with regard to marine safety.