A HUGE drilling platform that appeared in Dublin Bay recently is not being used to search for oil, Dublin City Council has said.
South Dublin residents who may have thought black gold had been discovered in their locality may be disappointed to learn the drill is in fact examining options for extending the Ringsend waste-water treatment plant.
The drilling platform is investigating undersea conditions in Dublin Bay to determine the optimum position for the “sea outfall discharge” – where the treated water will spill out into the bay.
The platform is likely to stay in the area until the end of spring, and may be joined by another as it works towards drilling 20 boreholes at locations across the bay.
Dublin City Council said it was working on an Environmental Impact Assessment for the extension of the Ringsend plant, and a detailed feasibility study was being carried out on prospects for the facility.
“The marine site investigation work will cover the entire Dublin Bay area and extend as far as the Burford Bank,” a council spokeswoman said.
“This will provide the city council with a detailed understanding of both the sea bed profile and the underlying bedrock geology of the bay.”
The platforms are Aran 250and Excalibur, according to a mariners' notice on the Dublin Port Company website.
When operating they will have standby boats Brian Boruand James Joycein attendance, according to the notice.
A tug boat called Trojanwill serve as a supply boat to the platforms, and a vessel named Multatrug 7will be used to tow the platforms from one position to the next.
“During normal weather conditions the borehole drilling will operate on a 24-hour, seven-day basis,” the notice adds.
