Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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463. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the status of all existing applications to "frack"; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33343/16]

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Three onshore licensing options were granted for the two year period from 1 March 2011 to 28 February 2013, over parts of the North West Carboniferous (Lough Allen) Basin and parts of County Clare to:

i. Tamboran Resources PTY Ltd over 986 km²in the Northwest Carboniferous Basin;

ii. Lough Allen Natural Gas Company Ltd over 467 km²in the Northwest Carboniferous Basin; and

iii. Enegi Oil Plc over 495 km²in the Clare Basin.

These ‘options’ were valid for a period of up to a maximum of 24 months and gave the holder the first right, exercisable at any time during the period of the Option, to an Exploration Licence over all or part of the area covered by the Option. The licensing options awarded were preliminary authorisations and were designed to allow the companies assess the shale gas potential of the acreage largely based on desktop studies of existing data.

Exploration drilling, including drilling that would involve hydraulic fracturing was not allowed under these Licensing Options. Two of the three companies, which had been granted onshore licensing options in February 2011, have submitted applications for a follow-on exploration licence. 

In coming to a view whether unconventional gas exploration and extraction could be permitted in Ireland, it was considered necessary in the first instance to establish if this technology could be carried out in a manner that would not negatively impact on the environment and human health. Having consulted publicly on the terms of reference for a research programme, the issues identified on foot of this process have been included in the scope of the research programme being administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with oversight from a broad based Steering Committee that includes my Department. It is anticipated that an Integrated Synthesis Report concluding on the research programme to date will be finalised in the coming weeks. 

There is no unconventional gas exploration or extraction in Ireland. Since the Joint Research Programme on the Environmental Impacts of Unconventional Gas Exploration and Extraction was commissioned, no application to engage in unconventional gas exploration has been received in my Department, nor would any such application, if submitted, be considered until the Integrated Synthesis Report has concluded and there has been time to consider its findings.