We have the attempt by Tamboran to renew their licence that they lost. It is by all accounts an extension five years later. The work programme makes that clear, that Tamboran are really being let back into the process after serving time in the 'sin bin'.
Infrastrata meanwhile have moved from dry wells to putting all their eggs into one basket
Don't forget that Terrain Energy have taken over leadership of the group of companies with Petroleum Licence PL1/10, formerly owned by Infrastrata. It is very likely another well is on the cards to be drilled as part of that licence.
It wasn't just Tamboran that applied for a Petroleum Licence in Northern Ireland. There was another appplication for 1000 Sq KMs just South of Lough Neagh and stretching into Belfast by EHX exploration.
Another PCI projects listed in Northern Ireland is the reverse flow of the SNIP (Scotland Northern Ireland Pipeline). Quite apart from the fact that there are known engineering issues with reverse flow on pipelines not designed as such, this is done to enable gas to leave the island of Ireland and go to the rest of the UK.
In the Republic, despite the banning of Fracking, and the recent statement on discontinuing oil exploration licences, the politician's nostrils seem filled with the whiff of methane.
PCI projects include the Shannon LNG facility, and reverse flow on the Moffat gas pipelines from Scotland via Isle Of Man to Ireland.
Gas as a Bridge Fuel seems the order of the day. We have to replace coal fired stations like Ballylumford in Northern Ireland, and peat powered stations, as in midlands with another fossil fuel because erm...
Well part of the problem is that none of this has gone through a Strategic Environmental Assessment of policy or plans or programmes, and certainly it doesn't look like the declaration of a climate emergency in either the UK or the Republic of Ireland has forced a rethink on major gas installation projects. There also seems to be no combined thinking on this. Every project seems to be in a little isolated silo of decision-making. ACER (the EU Energy regulator and advisor to the EU Commission) has stated that none of the projects listed on the PCI list for Ireland/Northern Ireland are cost effective.
With the Assembly not in action, the North South Ministerial council can't meet and look at policy on an all-island basis either. This really needs looking at on an all-island basis. A reminder that in 2017 an IMF study (hardly a bastion of Left wing socialist thinking) found that the fossil fuel industry globally was supported by 5 trillion dollars of subsidies each year - more than the total annual healthcare spend globally. The industry still has clout, and in line with the millions spent on climate change denial over the years is still looking to push a softly softly approach to doing anything major to change away from fossil fuels.
We risk locking ourselves into gas infrastructure and exploration in a big way and crazily doing it almost by default. The industry will generate arguments about LNG versus domestically produced fracked gas, using a false comparison to engage the public. They will play each of the projects off against one another, whilst helping progress all of them. The truth is we need to move away from fossil fuels NOW, not later, and building more infrastructure for gas, without due-diligence in the light of new climate science is being reckless in the extreme, not just with our future, but with the future of generations yet to be even born.
