Malcy Blog Positive comment14 Feb 2023 17:31
Angus Energy
Angus has announced that, further to its RNS of 2 March 2021 and 2 August 2021, its appeal against the decision by West Sussex County Council to refuse permission for an extended well test at its Balcombe oil site has been upheld.
Angus Energy has a 25% interest in the Balcombe field discovery (PEDL 244) targeting the Kimmeridge limestones. The Balcombe 2Z horizontal sidetrack was drilled in 2013 and permission for a flow test was granted in 2018. The test evidenced a definitive oil show with high flow rates for short periods.
The planning permission expired prior to the completion of clean up operations leaving a quantity of, what the Company subsequently determined to be, left-over drilling fluids from the 2013 operation.
Hence a new planning permission was applied for in 2020 in order to complete the clean-up exercise and follow with an extended well test.
As a consequence of yesterday’s decision by the Planning Inspectorate, the Company is now capable of pursing this well test subject to satisfaction of planning conditions noted in the Appeal Decision as well as the determination of the variation to the Environmental Permit by the Environment Agency which we understand to be imminent.
A good call for Angus and the EWT should provide something very good for the company.