The Government is unable to guarantee the operation of the Whitegate oil refinery once an obligation to operate it expires in a year, according to a department spokesperson.

The potential sale of the country’s only oil refinery in Whitegate, Co Cork is back on the table despite its parent company appearing to pull the plug on the sales process last year.

The Government is trying to design a scheme in conjunction with the EU to continue oil refining in Ireland, following the end of the legal obligation on the owners of Whitegate oil refinery in 2016.