FAQs

Has this been done before?

The appraisal of the Crogga Field will follow a routine industry programme of acquiring new seismic data, process and interpreting that seismic data, planning an appraisal well programme and drilling and testing those appraisal wells. The general procedure is that which has been followed since offshore oil and gas exploration started in the UK in the 1960s. Technology and timeframes have changed since the 1960s but the outlined programme is routine. All of the UKs offshore oil and gas fields are of this conventional typeREAD MORE

What is a well-head?

A well-head is the surface location of the well and comprises a series of control valves, injection points and a connection to a pipelineREAD MORE

Will the onshore and offshore gas infrastructure damage the environment?

If our investigations lead us to installing infrastructure this will likely be: Construction of the small onshore gas terminal. This site will be no larger than any other industrial / housing development already on the island. A small pipeline corridor will be required, which will be rehabilitated to its previous natural state, leaving no indication at all of the pipeline below ground. Construction offshore will also have minimal environmental impact, as it only requires one pipeline corridor and a small number of drilling sites. Crogga will work with the Isle of Man Government for all planning consents and a completeREAD MORE

Will gas production damage the sea bed?

A pipeline route to bring the gas to shore has not been chosen yet. Full ecological surveys will be completed prior to work being proposed. The pipeline would be buried and the sea bed restored to its original stateREAD MORE

What is Natural Gas?

Natural Gas is made up of a number of different gases that are naturally found in our atmosphere, and that can be separated and used for a range of purposes. It is produced by the decomposition of organic materials, in the Irish Sea’s case, first deposited over 320 million years’ ago. The gases are trapped in a layer of sandstone, capped by a layer of Permian Salt, preventing the gas from escaping or rising further. The natural gas discovered in the CROGGA Field has been tested and the composition of it is reasonably, though not completely, understood. The natural gasREAD MORE

History of Natural Gas in the Irish Sea

In Relation to the Isle of Man, where are the Current Gas Fields?   The nearest producing gas field to the Isle of Man is the Millom gas field which lies 15km from Manx waters. Millom has been producing natural gas from Triassic sandstone reservoir since 2000 at a maximum rate of 100 million cubic feet per day and whilst it is now at the tail end of its production, it is still producing 30 million cubic feet per day having produced, to date, 257 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas. The next nearest gas production to Manx watersREAD MORE