Appeal submitted against refused proposals for oil field site
An appeal has been submitted against the refusal of planning consent for the development of the Wressle oil field by North Lincolnshire Council.
The Wressle oil field was discovered by the Wressle-1 well in 2014. During testing in 2015, Wressle-1 flowed oil and gas from three separate reservoirs, the Ashover Grit, the Wingfield Flags and the Penistone Flags.
A total of 710 barrels of oil equivalent per day were recovered from all zones. In September 2016, a Competent Person’s Report provided independent estimates of Reserves and Contingent and Prospective oil and gas Resources for the Wressle discovery of 2.15 million stock tank barrels classified as discovered.
Egdon Resources has now submitted to the Planning Inspectorate an appeal against the decision to refuse planning consent for further development by the council’s Planning Committee on 28 November.
The appeal will now be validated by the Planning Inspectorate and a bespoke timetable advised for the appeal process which will lead to a planning inquiry in due course.
Europa Oil & Gas (Holdings), the oil and gas exploration, development and production company, has a 30% working interest in licence PEDL 180 in the East Midlands which holds the Wressle oil discovery, alongside Egdon (operator, 30%), Union Jack Oil (27.5%), and Humber Oil & Gas Limited (12.5%).
Mark Abbott, managing director of Egdon Resources, said: “We look forward to a Planning Inspector considering at a public inquiry our appeal against the refusal in November 2018 of our revised development proposals for the Wressle oil field.
“We strongly believe that the new proposals for the development of the Wressle oil field comprehensively addressed the reasons highlighted by the Planning Inspector in his dismissal of our original appeals in January 2018. This position was supported by the recommendation for approval given by the Council’s Planning Officer as reinforced by an expert third party review undertaken on behalf of the Council.”
Hugh Mackay, Europa’s CEO, added: “The Partners are confident the new proposals for the development of Wressle comprehensively address the reasons highlighted by the Planning Inspector in the original appeal in January 2018, particularly as these have been recommended for approval by the Council’s Planning Officer and supported by an expert third party review undertaken on behalf of the Council.
“Further details regarding the public inquiry, during which a Planning Inspector will consider the Partners’ appeal, will be provided in due course, as we support the operator’s efforts to bring the Wressle discovery online at an initial gross rate of 500bopd and in the process more than double Europa’s existing production to over 200bopd.”
