Business
Positive Holmwood Update
Positive Holmwood Update.
About this update from Europa Oil & Gas (holdings) Plc
[{"type":"text","content":"\n \nEuropa Oil & Gas (Holdings) plc / Index: AIM / Epic: EOG / Sector: Oil & Gas\n\n23 September 2015\n\nEuropa Oil & Gas (Holdings) plc (‘Europa’ or ‘the Company’)\n\nPositive Holmwood Update\n\nEuropa Oil & Gas (Holdings) plc, the AIM quoted oil and gas company with a combination of producing and exploration assets in Europe, is pleased to confirm that Surrey County Council’s Planning & Regulatory Committee has granted permission for the underground drilling corridor of an exploratory borehole at the Holmwood prospect (‘Holmwood’) in the PEDL143 licence in the Weald Basin. Europa holds a 40% interest in PEDL 143, which contains the conventional Holmwood prospect, alongside Egdon Resources (18.4%), Altwood Petroleum (1.6%), Warwick Energy (20%) and UK Oil & Gas Investments (20% subject to completion of farm-in).\n\nThe Holmwood prospect is to be drilled as a deviated exploration well. Europa and its partners now have planning permission for both the surface site and the underground drilling corridor. Next steps will include fulfilment of planning conditions and commencement of detailed drilling planning and environmental permitting. It is anticipated that drilling will take place in late 2016 or in 2017. Europa and its partner Warwick Energy intend to farm out some of their combined 60% equity in licence PEDL 143. The farm out process has already commenced and further updates will be provided as when it is appropriate to do so.\n\nAn application for planning permission to drill the Holmwood prospect on PEDL143 was submitted in 2008 and was dismissed by Surrey County Council in 2011. A planning appeal in 2012 was dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate. Europa successfully challenged this decision in the High Court in 2013. In 2014 the Court of Appeal upheld the 2013 High Court judgment in the Company’s favour and a second planning appeal was heard at an eight day public inquiry in April and June 2015. The Planning Inspectorate issued a decision to allow the remitted appeal on 7 August 2015 and Surrey County Council allowed planning permission for the underground drilling corridor on 23 September 2015.\n\nEuropa provided the following information in its Geological Proof of Evidence submitted at the Planning Inquiry in April 2015: “In the event of a successfu...