Gas exploration firm's licence extended again

Crogga's search is focused on the seabed 10.5 miles (17km) off the northwest coast

A company looking to extract gas from Manx territorial waters has had its exploration licence extended once more.

A two-month extension has been granted to Crogga Limited's Seaward Production Innovative Licence, which it first obtained in 2018.

The firm requested a licence variation to bring forward the drilling of an appraisal well, to assess how much gas lies under the seabed off Maughold Head.

The government said agreement could not be reached over Crogga's application to drill the well on the basis of a 2D rather than a 3D seismic survey and it had been withdrawn by the firm.

The government licenses are divided into three phases of exploration.

Phase A, involving geotechnical studies and geophysical reprocessing; Phase B, which consists of the 3D seismic survey and the acquisition of other geophysical data, and finally phase C, the exploratory drilling.

The Isle of Man government most recently granted a three month extension to the licence in August, followed by another seven-week continuation in November.

It explained that this latest extension "has been agreed between the parties to conclude discussions around other outstanding matters before a new licence end date can be established".

The firm was recently ordered to pay £131,000 to one of its former directors by the island's employment tribunal, following a claim of unlawful deduction of pay.