There will be no interruption to the supply of petrol, diesel, gas, electricity and home heating oil to consumers or emergency vehicles throughout the Covid-19 delay period and beyond.

The Norwegian government has awarded 28 oil and gas companies a total of 69 offshore blocks to explore for petroleum in mature areas of its continental shelf, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate said.

The majority of Irish-focused oil and gas companies are still planning to invest in their operations here despite the Government’s intention to phase out oil exploration, more details of which are expected to be released in the near future.

Irish consumers who failed to switch gas or electricity suppliers over the last four years have paid almost €1,700 more than necessary, according to the energy regulator.

The annual report of the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) reveals that only a quarter of customers either switched providers or negotiated better deals with their existing provider in 2018.

Former Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Denis Naughten is calling on the Government to “pause” the approval of gas and oil exploration licences.

Royal Dutch Shell reported a small drop in first quarter profit to $5.4bn (€4.8bn), but still easily beat forecasts, helped by stronger trading and liquefied natural gas earnings.

One million people are due to see their energy bills go up from today.

The Government has been urged, by a gas exploration company active in Irish waters, to clarify its long-term position on offshore drilling or risk losing inward investment.

Despite being passed - as a private members' motion - to committee stage last year, the bill has ended up in procedural limbo with the environment committee repeatedly failing to vote on progressing it to the Dáil.

Some electricity and gas customers faced as many as three price hikes in the first nine months of last year, according to a new report by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU).

All Irish customers will be affected "sooner or later" by the raft of energy price hikes that are still in "full swing", a consumer comparison website has warned.

A woman escaped serious harm after she was rescued from a gas-filled house in Co Clare last night.

30% of gas customers and 31% of electricity customers feel they don’t have the best deal for their energy.

Cattle slurry is to be turned into enough gas to power 56,000 homes as part of multimillion euro project in Mitchelstown, Co Cork.

The review also shows electricity prices have increased by 3% on a month-on-month basis.

Two-thirds of Irish consumers say they are likely to switch away from a service or utility provider in the next 12 months.

Latest figures from the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) show that switching levels in the energy market have increased in Ireland.

Ireland is one of the most expensive countries for household electricity and gas prices in Europe, new data shows.

Consumer bodies have warned there is “no end in sight” to “shocking” gas and electricity hikes, as Bord Gáis became the seventh firm to raise prices in a matter of weeks.

Regularly switching energy providers could save consumers more than €1,400 over a four-year period.

Two more energy suppliers have announced price hikes for customers in Ireland.

A man is recovering after a sudden, uncontrolled release of gas near Dublin Port.

A jump in the price of gas over the past year helped the owners of the Corrib gas field generate a 20% rise in revenues in the first quarter of this year, despite a fall in production rates.

By Pádraig Hoare

British exploration company Europa Oil and Gas is looking to increase the number of drill-ready prospects in its Irish portfolio from two, currently, to six by the end of this year.

Few things are more foolish than sanctioning a country to depend on gas, writes David Horgan.

A rapprochement is emerging between the EU and its biggest natural gas supplier, writes Mathew Carr.

Railway stations have reopened after a gas pipe leak in central London was repaired.

United Oil and Gas shares have jumped more than 5% on the back of the Irishcompany confirming a commercial gas discovery from its maiden drilling round, writes Geoff Percival.

British explorer Europa Oil and Gas has hinted at the potential for significant new discoveries near the Corrib gas field off Ireland’s north-west coast.

A couple in their 80s have spoken of their nightmare after they got caught up in a suspected gas explosion at their home in Cork over the weekend, writes Olivia Kelleher.

The firms behind the Corrib gas field may have lost out on an estimated €38m in revenues in the third quarter as a result of odourless gas getting into the gas network and a scheduled downtime.

The owners of recently wound-down smartphone content supplier Zamano are considering numerous investment options, including reinventing the business through potential acquisitions as an oil and gas exploration company.

Gas supplies throughout the west of Ireland can now be switched back on following a safety alert earlier in the week, energy chiefs have said.

The first reaction to the news that odourless gas was pumped into homes in Mayo and Galway must be relief that nobody was injured as a consequence. 

A major gas supply project costing hundreds of millions of euro could be operational in Cork Harbour by the end of 2019.

A gas supply project worth hundreds of millions of euro is being developed by a major American company and the Port of Cork, which will secure the future of the country’s power supply for many decades to come.

Irish oil and gas exploration company Petrel Resources said it has “sufficient” funds to cover activities for the “near future” despite seeing losses widen by nearly 13% over the past 12 months.

Norway is seeking greater leeway to restrict foreign ownership of its offshore fields, a move seen to be potentially targeting a growing Russian interest in its resources.

Would Ireland be plunged into darkness were Russia to cut natural gas supply to Europe? According to researchers from University College Cork, the answer is ‘No’, although customers could face an electricity price hike of as much as 10%.

Diplomats have clashed over whether Bashar Assad's government was responsible for the chemical weapons attack in northern Syria, as US intelligence, Doctors Without Borders and the United Nations' health agency said evidence pointed to nerve gas exposure.