Locals concerned as company proposes gas field 'fracking'
Environmentalists and locals are raising their concerns about plans to develop gas fields in Leitrim and Fermanagh.
Australian mining company Tamboran Resources said that initial studies have confirmed the presence of a substantial natural gas field.
The company said that the proposed €7bn gas exploration project for Ireland could create 600 full time jobs, up to 2,400 indirect jobs and deliver substantial natural gas energy volumes for the next 40-50 years.
A full analysis of the project will be published by the end of this year.
Tamboran was granted a Licensing Option by the Department of Communications, Energy, and Natural Resources last year, focusing its Ireland operations in the northern area of Co Leitrim.
The Company has been granted an Exploration Licence in an adjacent area in the North, where it is focusing on southwest Co Fermanagh.
Chief executive Richard Moorman said: "Our initial analysis suggests very substantial shale gas reserves in the south-west Fermanagh area.
"Allowing for even modest rates of recovery, the energy and economic benefits would be tremendous.
"Realising these reserves would secure gas supply for decades, protect consumers and businesses from market uncertainty and negate the risks associated with being over dependent on unpredictable external supplies.
"Co Fermanagh would be able to attract additional businesses that would benefit directly from a secure local natural gas supply."
The controversial process known as "fracking" involves hydraulic fracturing of the rock.
Northern Ireland's Assembly last month voted for a moratorium on fracking, which has been opposed by the Green Party which claims it causes well blow-outs, endangering workers and local committees.
Many residents inspired by stories of flammable tap water following the process are opposed to the plans.
The practice of 'fracking' normally involves forcing up to 10 million gallons of fluid up to 500 metres below the surface to crack open the rock formation and channel natural gas into an onshore well.
A New York Times investigation found the waste water in some such wells contained dangerously high levels of radioactivity.
It was being sent to treatment plants that were not designed to deal with it or was discharged into rivers that supply drinking water.
An award winning 2010 film 'Gasland' exposed the health ill-effects suffered by many US residents living near gas wells, the destruction of landscape and instances of water, soil and air pollution. It features flames coming out of taps on land that was "fracked".
Much of the harmful effects associated with fracking are caused by the toxic make-up of the frack fluid, which can contaminate groundwater, but Tamboran has promised not to use chemicals, the first time such a technique has been attempted.
