Public meeting to be held over oil drilling off Dalkey Island

A PUBLIC meeting will be held in Dalkey, Co Dublin, tomorrow night to consider plans for oil and gas exploration which would involve drilling in the sea off Dalkey Island.

The meeting has been organised by Protect Our Coast, a group opposing the application by Providence Resources for a foreshore licence to search for oil or gas about 6km out to sea in an area known as the Kish Bank Basin.

The firm, run by Tony O’Reilly jnr and Star Energy Oil and Gas Ltd, which holds an option over eight blocks in the Kish Bank Basin, is seeking the licence to establish whether oil or gas is present in commercial quantities.

The foreshore application is currently available for inspection at Dalkey Garda station, with February 2nd as the closing date for submissions. The opposition group is urging people to petition Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan to refuse the licence.

The group said the potential for “environmental and human catastrophe” associated with an oil spill was too great to allow the project to go ahead.

Environmental concerns were of particular relevance to this application, the group said, as Dublin Bay and Dalkey Island had been designated as special protection areas by the Department of the Environment under EU regulations.

“There is an abundance of wildlife attached to this area, including several endangered species such as humpback and fin whales and the sooty shearwater and razorbill avifauna,” the group said. “ Notwithstanding any spillage, there is in any case considerable toxic chemical effluent from offshore drills.”

A spokesman for the company said it was committed to “rigorous environmental and health and safety standards” and that detailed proposals on environmental mitigation measures and safety procedures had been submitted as part of the foreshore licence application.

“To date there have been no major oil spills associated with this type of exploratory activity offshore Ireland,” he said, but submission of an oil spill contingency plan for “every possible eventuality” was part of the licensing requirements.

He added that the exploration process was still in its early stages and further licensing and permitting would be required if the survey and exploratory drill revealed commercial potential.

Green Party planning spokesman Tom Kivlehan has called on Mr Hogan to establish a public inquiry into the proposal.

“What happened in relation to the Corrib gas field shows the mess that can be created if you don’t get public consultation right.

“There are a million people at the front door of this project so it is essential that there is a proper public inquiry.”