Written answers

Thursday, 14 July 2011

Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

Exploration Licences

8:00 pm

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 190: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the processes that would have to be gone through and the permissions that will have to be granted to enable a company (details supplied) to extract natural gas in County Leitrim and the body that will grant such permissions; if fracking will be considered a suitable method of extraction in principal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20605/11]

Photo of Pat RabbittePat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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The principal authorisations required from my Department for a petroleum production project would be a Petroleum Lease and an approval for the developer's plan of development. The plan of development would set out the basis for the project and the rationale for the selection of the appropriate development option. The Plan of Development would be subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment including a public consultation phase. In preparing an Environmental Impact Statement to support a plan of development application, the developer would have to assess the potential environmental impacts of the proposed project.

A petroleum production project would also be likely to require consents from other statutory authorities including the planning authorities and the Environmental Protection Agency. With regard to the licensing options issued in respect of the Northwest Carboniferous Basin, it is too early to conclude whether or not these authorisations will proceed to the exploration licence stage and it is certainly too early to anticipate a commercial discovery that would potentially lead to a petroleum production project.

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