Details of next exploration licences due early in 2014

The Government will provide greater detail regarding plans for the next exploration licensing round in Irish waters sometime during the first quarter of next year.

Speaking on the sidelines of the opening session of the two-day Ireland Oil & Gas summit in Dublin yesterday, Fergus O’Dowd, the natural resources minister, said while no decision had been made on the timeframe of the next licensing round or what area of the coast it will involve, more clarity should be available during the first three months of 2014.

The last licensing round undertaken was the Atlantic Margin Round in 2011, when 13 licence options were awarded. To date, eight of these have been converted to full exploration/ drilling licences, with that figure expected to increase to 11 by the end of next month.