Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)

This has been the subject of exhaustive evaluation. Approvals were granted by the Department. Under the Petroleum and other Minerals Development Act, as amended, there was a lease demising the petroleum in the leasehold area. There was a plan of development under the Gas Act. Pipeline consent was given, with 32 compulsory acquisitions of rights over land and one compulsory acquisition of land later in 2002. Under the Continental Shelf Act, as amended, there was consent to construct a structure on the continental shelf. Under the Foreshore Act, a licence was issued in May 2002 and An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission for the terminal. The development concepts that I mentioned were looked at in great detail and the prevailing view, because of its location in the Atlantic Ocean, was to grant consent to those proposals that were accepted.

I have no information that anything more will be available in that area but have been told anecdotally that once there has been a find in a particular area, there may be something more.

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