asked the Minister for Energy the estimated remaining reserves of natural gas in the Kinsale field, County Cork, and its estimated life expectancy at present usage rates; the latest information available to his Department on other possible discoveries of natural gas in Irish territory; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

30.

asked the Minister for Energy if he will make a statement indicating the latest estimates of recoverable reserves of gas at the Kinsale field, County Cork, with comparable figures for the last two years for which figures are available.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 30 together.

The latest estimate of recoverable reserves for the Kinsale Head gas field, calculated by my Department on the basis of 1987 data, is 1.47 trillion cubic feet. The 1988 figure has not yet been calculated. In 1986 and 1985 the recoverable reserves were estimated at 1.45 trillion cubic feet and 1.44 trillion cubic feet respectively. These calculations reflect a slight year-on-year increase in the estimate of recoverable reserves in the field with the 1987 figure being greater than the 1985 estimate by some 2 per cent, although some scope for margin of error must be borne in mind.

At current offtake levels of 60 billion cubic feet per annum the field has a life expectancy of some 15 years. The agreement with Marathon, which was announced on 22 July 1988, provides, inter alia, for increased levels of offtake. The formal contract giving effect to this agreement was signed by me on 22 November 1988.

On the basis of data analysis and discussions with exploration companies having interests in the Irish offshore, my Department are aware of a number of potentially gas-bearing structures which remain to be explored. Only by drilling will this potential be adequately assessed. I am confident that the drilling programme which we have arranged with Marathon, together with the exploration activities of other companies, will substantially achieve that object.