THERE are fresh hopes of a gas find off the Co Mayo coast, following the discovery of gas shows by exploration company Enterprise Oil.
Enterprise, which announced its findings yesterday, is now preparing to undertake a further well testing operation to determine if its gas find is commercially viable. So far, it said the gas shows at its Corrib well in the Slyne Trough were "very encouraging" but that it was too early to say how big the find may be.
"It's impossible to say what's there yet," said Mr John McGoldrick, Enterprise Oil's Atlantic area manager. "Finding a commercial field is a long and treacherous path. If the well testing operation is successful we can try and go somewhere, but if it isn't, it's back to the drawing board," he said yesterday.
The next phase of the well testing operation is expected to start shortly and should be completed by the end the month. But Mr McGoldrick said it could take slightly longer to finalise, depending on weather conditions.
"The test will provide us with additional valuable data which will allow a complete evaluation of the well," he says. The Corrib North well is in particularly deep water, a factor which will make it more expensive for the company to operate.
Commercial success would ultimately depend on the size of the discovery and how fast the gas can flow. "It depends on the geological structure and on how easily any gas could be brought on shore," said Mr McGoldrick.
The gas shows were discovered following drilling operations at two wells in the Slyne Trough carried out by Enterprise Oil, in partnership with Statoil and Santa Fe Exploration.
