Cairn Energy wins approval for drilling off west coast of Ireland

Scottish oil and gas exploration firm Cairn Energy has secured government approvals for a speculative drilling programme off the west coast of Ireland.

Cairn announced in May that it had taken operatorship on two licences in the Porcupine Basin the company’s first move into the Irish energy sector.

The Spanish point gas condensate and Burren oil discoveries cover a total of 1,242 square kilometres off the country’s south-western tip while the firm has also been granted a further licensing option in the region by energy minister Pat Rabbitte.

A spokesman for the Irish department for energy said: “The recent entry of a number of leading independent oil and gas exploration and development companies, including Cairn Energy, to the Irish offshore is reflective of the increased interest in the prospectivity of Irish waters.”