Mandy Johnston, a former government press secretary and adviser to the taoiseach, has been appointed chief executive of the representative organisation for the Irish oil and gas exploration sector.

Proposed legislation targeting a ban on companies drilling for oil and gas in Irish waters has progressed in the Dáil.

The representative body for the Irish exploration sector has said proposed legislation to ban offshore oil and gas drilling "does not reflect the current or future realities of energy supply and demand in Ireland".

Low prices pose major challenge for sector, writes Geoff Percival.   

The Government has said there is no need to readdress last year’s altered fiscal terms for exploration firms active in Irish waters, despite this year’s dramatic drop in oil prices.

The main representative body for Irish oil and gas exploration firms wants to see more incentives for marginal field operators, as well as a lowering of the corporate tax rate for such companies, included in the Finance Bill later in the year.

The Government has launched its first offshore licensing round for three years, adding that its revised fiscal terms for incoming operators should encourage new investment in Irish waters.

There is plenty of hype around Ireland’s oil exploration sector, but there have also been numerous disappointments. With the Barryroe bonanza this week, could the country be set for a new boom, asks Kyran Fitzgerald

THE Irish Offshore Operators’ Association (IOOA), the representative body for the country’s offshore oil and gas exploration industry, has warned of the continuing fragility of gas supply to western Europe, and particularly Ireland.

AN BORD Pleanála was not subjected to any external pressure in relation to the €900 million Corrib Gas project, the head of the authority said yesterday.