A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Petroneft announces oil discovery
Petroneft Resources, the Dublin-listed, Russia-focused oil exploration company, has found oil in its Lineynoye number seven exploration well, the third find in as many wells.
In a statement yesterday, it also announced plans for its 2008 drilling programme, which will seek to define the newly discovered west Lineynoye oil field, as well as to drill two low-risk exploration projects in the Tungolskoye-Lineynoye oil fairway.
UPC launches digital recorder
Cable television operator UPC Ireland yesterday launched its digital video recorder (DVR) as part of a rollout of next-generation products. The set-top box will record up to 80 hours of programming and will allow viewers to pause and rewind live television.
New subscribers will get the box for free and pay a €7.50 monthly rental in addition to their digital TV subscription. Existing subscribers have to pay a €49 installation charge.
UPC is making the DVR box available first to NTL's subscriber base in Dublin, Galway and Waterford. It will be available to Chorus customers from October.
Burren Energy's oil production boosted
Burren Energy yesterday said oil production from its Turkmenistan projects reached a record 23,400 barrels of oil a day in the first half of August, boosted by new wells drilled in the first half of the year. This compares with 21,800 barrels a day in the six months to the end of June.
It also said a new appraisal well in the Burun field had flowed oil at a rate of 2,200 barrels a day, the highest of any Burun well.
Finavera gets wave energy permit
Irish wind and wave energy company Finavera Renewables has been granted a two-year permit to examine the feasibility and environmental impact of a wave energy project off the west coast of Vancouver in Canada.
Studies will be carried out on: local fishing, commercial and recreational activities; visual impact; public safety; marine mammal and biological resources; and oceanographic conditions.
Earnings in public sector up by 4.8%
Average weekly earnings in the public sector excluding health rose by 4.8 per cent in the year to March 2007, according to the latest Central Statistics Office (CSO) data.
In March, average weekly earnings stood at €909.22, compared to €867.62 in March 2006. Weekly earnings rose by 1.2 per cent in the first quarter.
The index of average earnings, which excludes some effects of changes in employment composition, rose by 5.2 per cent for the same period, the CSO said.
A total of 251,400 people were employed in the public sector, excluding health, in March 2007 compared to 248,200 in March last year.
Exploration firm rules out well test
Antrim, a Canadian-listed group that is searching for oil and gas in Argentina and the North Sea, said it has decided not to test the 22a-7A well it has drilled in the North Sea as its appears to have the same characteristics of a successful nearby well. Instead, it will move straight on to drilling the third well in the programme.
Profits quadruple for Lundin Mining
Lundin Mining, the Canadian group that owns the Galmoy lead and zinc mine in Co Kilkenny, reported a quadrupling of its second-quarter profit yesterday. Net profit was 159.9 million Canadian dollars (€110.7 million) in the three months to the end of June, up from CAD$37.2 million last year.
For the first six months of this year, profit was CAD$213.6 million, up from CAD$58.6 million in 2006.
