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29 April 2014
Celtique Energie Weald Ltd. (“Celtique”), along with its joint investment partner Magellan Petroleum (UK) Ltd., has today confirmed that it has submitted additional information to the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) as part of its planning application for an exploration well, to the west of Fernhurst.
The new information, contained in an addendum to the Environmental Statement (ES), forms part of Celtique’s planning application and will address feedback provided to Celtique by the SDNPA following the statutory consultation the Authority held with consultees and residents living near the proposed well site.
The addendum provides additional information on topics including construction management, ecology, landscape and visual impact, noise and vibration, and transport and access. A Non-Technical Summary of this supplementary information will be made available on the SDNPA’s online planning database.
Now that the addendum has been submitted, Celtique believes that the SDNPA will be in a position to present the application in July of this year for determination by the Authority’s Planning Committee.
Geoff Davies, Chief Executive Officer at Celtique Energie, said:
“We have updated our Environmental Statement at the request of the South Downs National Park Authority’s planning officers to ensure that they have all the relevant information they need to make an informed decision on our planning application. In recognition of the National Park’s importance, we believe our ES is one of the most detailed ever submitted for an onshore exploration well in the UK and considers in great detail the range of impacts associated with our proposal and how they will be comprehensively mitigated.
“In the event that planning permission is granted by the SDNPA, we fully expect there to be a number of planning conditions that we will be required to fulfil prior to any work commencing on site, as is common planning practice. For example, we will also be required to secure separate permissions from the Environment Agency. As a responsible operator we fully intend to work with all relevant regulatory and permitting bodies to honour these commitments to ensure that we are operating to the highest standards.”
As part of the update to the planning application, Celtique has decided to remove the optional horizontal well included in the original proposal and focus on the proposed vertical well. This will enable Celtique to explore the geological horizons believed to have the potential to flow hydrocarbons naturally and in addition obtain electric log and core data from the Kimmeridge and Liassic shales for future study to assess their potential as a resource in the region.
By removing the horizontal well from the application, Celtique has shortened the length of time it would be drilling on site by approximately 34 weeks (eight months) and reduced the number of environmental impacts associated with the project.
Davies continued:
“Following this latest submission, we firmly believe that the SDNPA has all the information it requires within its remit to determine the application on the agreed date of 10 July 2014. We have made every effort to ensure that our application for this temporary activity is as comprehensive and robust as practically possible, and we hope that the Authority’s Planning Committee reaches a similar view when it goes before them.”