Ireland’s prime minister won headlines yesterday by unveiling a plan to reduce carbon emissions by putting an end to offshore oil exploration. Today, though, the Irish government clarified Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s statement, saying that the prohibition would affect future exploration projects, as it would not apply to existing contracts.
This clarification was greeted with relief by the Irish Offshore Operators’ Association (IOOA), an oil and gas industry group. In a statement dated September 24, IOOA said it had been pleased to learn that none of the licenses granted in Ireland’s 2015 bidding round would be affected by the new policy.
It added, though, that it would seek additional information from the government. Mandy Johnston, the CEO of the group, said that IOOA had requested to meet with Sean Canney, Ireland’s minister of state for natural resources.
“The clarification that the announcement in the Taoiseach’s speech does not affect existing licenses is welcome,” Johnston said. “However, it is important that further clarity is given on how the government’s proposal for future licensing rounds will be implemented.”