Northern Ireland basins (Lough Allen, Rathlin, Lough Neagh) shale basin
Northern Ireland basins (Lough Allen, Rathlin, Lough Neagh) is one of the UK onshore shale basins on Brent & Beyond. Lough Allen: Carboniferous Bundoran Shale, straddling the border into the Republic; Rathlin and Lough Neagh: Permo-Triassic and Carboniferous basins (conventional and CBM interest).
Gas in place is not recoverable gas. No UK recovery factor has been established; years of supply need a recovery factor first.
| Nation | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|
| Play | Gas (Carboniferous, Lough Allen) |
| Gas in place | no official estimate |
| Oil in place | — |
| Recoverable | Company estimate only (Tamboran), not checked by GSNI. |
| Status | No active licences. Executive agreed (5 Dec 2024) a moratorium and eventual legislative ban on all onshore oil and gas; a repeal bill has been introduced. |
| On the map from | Apr 2011: Petroleum licence PL2/10 (Fermanagh) issued to Tamboran Resources, 1 Apr 2011 |
Wells and licences
- 1981, 2002: 13 historical vertical wells in the Lough Allen Basin; one fracked in 1981 and five in 2002 (tight sandstone, not shale).
- 1 Apr 2011: Tamboran licence for Fermanagh; other licences for Lough Neagh (Infrastrata/eCORP) and Rathlin (Rathlin Energy).
- 11 Aug 2014: Belcoo (Cleggan Quarry) exploratory borehole refused.
- Oct 2014: Tamboran licence terminated by the Enterprise Minister.
- 2020: Last licence (PL1/10) relinquished; no active licences.
Source: https://www.niassembly.gov.uk/globalassets/documents/enterprise-trade-and-investment/hydra · date: source