Member Info for StoneFold

Old news story about him.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2713509/Scientist-claims-fracking-dangerous-argues-against-drilling-applications-fraud-lied-credentials.html

From the internet in his own words

[I am David Smythe, Emeritus Professor of Geophysics in the University of Glasgow. (a courtesy title)
I retired from the university in 1998 and live in France ]

So he does not have a valid UK work or residential address.
Therefore he has been dishonest in using that (more than 20 years since he last worked there) university address, in order to cheat the 'UK residence only' check, which is required to permit people to submit a public comment to the IOW planning website.

If any non-UK-resident can submit comments to a UK public planning website, then what is to stop some disruptive person/group from flooding planning applications with bogus objections?

The IOW council should delete David Smythe's comment from display on the public commments page of their website.

They should not set a precedent, which might encorage others to submit comments using invalid addresses.

He is fully entitled to use his own website and social media accounts to express, if he wishes his bitter and misleading nonsense.

It is true that Both wells were classified as dry and abandoned.

Whether a commercial volume of hydrocarbons have migrated to and still exist in a nearby reservoir, can only be confirmed by exploratory drilling if permitted by planning. But there are definately hydrocarbons below the IOW.

His view that there were "..(no hydrocarbons) at any depth.." is contradicted by the Drilling reports which can be found at:

https://ukogl.org.uk/

Such as:

https://ukogl.org.uk/map/php/pdf.php?subfolder=well_reports&filename=01+-+Exploration+Wells%2FARRETON+1%2FARRETON+1_Well+Completion+Report.pdf

ARRETON 1
BP Archives
Geological completion report on Arreton no 1 well

Page 2 -3
".. Only very slight traces of Oil were encountered ..."

Page 10
"... At 2560 feet a 4 inch band of brown compact limestone was strongly impregnated with oil - the strongest show noted in the well ..."

And:

https://ukogl.org.uk/map/php/images.php?subfolder=wells\compositeLogHeader&filename=1905-clh.jpg

ARRETON 2
images
Composite log header

"... 2570 - 2636 feet = Fair blow decr. 10 foot slight gas and oil cut mud. ..."

Actual spread down to 4% today. 2.28 - 2.38

Strange that news story states
.."The event has now been welcomed with open arms by the Island’s MP, Bob Seely. .."
But then links to a story where the MP only expresses concerns about the event.

https://www.islandecho.co.uk/mp-doesnt-welcome-diamond-races-with-concerns-for-cyclists-and-horse-riders/

Also judging by the number of comments these stories have received, the IOW public is far more interested in and enthusiastic about a motorbike race than bothered about a plan to drill for oil.
Any thoughts of CO2 emissions, noise pollution or road disruption fly out the window. Its all fine if it helps with the greed of profiting from tourists.

If the IOW was as green as some like to pretend it is then the race should be more like in the link below.

https://twitter.com/idamienrl/status/1287571479337545731

Exploration
Good point, the IOW is a big and important place, let it have two refineries.

ibug
You could be correct, if I ever visit that river i'll throw a measuring tape in.

The Rix Merlin has a capacity of about 5,000 bbls or 25 road tankers of crude oil and a draught of 3.2m but it does have a double hull and a Strengthened bottom, which is handy.
So a couple of those would do nicely one for each high tide.
Alternatively they could demolish the yacht club and build their own refinery, and a riverside fuel station, that way none of the Diesel engined boats would run out.

Exploration,
It could be
"...She is designed to transport wind turbine blades measuring up to 65m in length .." Not 90m
"..Her loaded draft of only 0.75m makes her ideal for accessing small rivers, in-land waterways and estuaries..."

But isn't the power station on the other bank?
It would be a bit of a faff driving a turbine blade by road up the river to the nearest bridge then back down again.

Also the boat in the satellite image ,has a round bow and is moored at a warf mainly used for unloading aggregates.
Whereas the boat in your link used for moving blades, has a straight bevelled bow.
Did it have a nose job?

Having any employer on IoW is a good thing, there is no vitue in belittling any new job-creation plan.

Also it good to see that the type of fuel used by your blade carrier is ...
"...Her main engines consists two D12-41M 9litre Scania Diesel Engines driving Schottel SPJ-57RD pumpjets. This gives a normal running speed between 7.5 and 8.7 knots. Auxillary power is provided by a Kubota BV2203 Diesel driving a 15kVa three phase generator..."

.. Fossil Fuel. So it will need some oil extracted and refined to keep it moving.

It is more likely that the toffs from the neighbouring marina will try to get the feul depot site.

http://www.gpsnauticalcharts.com/main/2793_0-cowes-harbour-and-river-medina-nautical-chart.html
The figures shown on the map are in feet?
-7.2 I would guess is feet above sea level, that is the river bank?
5.2 feet below sea level or 1.6m is in the river by the edge of the depot.
8.8 feet or 2.6m is in the middle of the river.

The difference at Cowes between low and high tide is 2.7m
So if my hypothetical oil tanker with a draught of 2.5m moored by the side of the river at the fuel depot, it would spend most of the day grounded on the mud. There would be two intervals per day of a few hours at the high tides, when the oil tanker would hopefully lift clear of the river bottom enough to depart. Who could object to that kind of plan?

ian12,

Scheduled dates for IOW planning meetings:
https://www.iow.gov.uk/Meetings/current/committeeDetail.aspx?cmteId=169

They have finally filled all the vacancies for the Planning Committee so are ready to get to work.

The planning team are still scanning and uploading public comments received before the cut-off date so they might not be ready to summarise the points raised by public comments yet in time for the next scheduled meeting.
They have to have a list of the points raised by the public and give time for the planners to issue a response if relevant to assist the planning committee before the meeting.

https://publicaccess.iow.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=dates&keyVal=Q7DSVFIQ07V00
Looking at the agreed decision date extension, I would guess the meeting might be either 22/09/2020 or some date in early October.

Would need to copy paste the whole link

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Isle+of+Wight+Fuels+Ltd/@50.7553823,-1.2928018,14z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x8f6407ec8a9f5fcd!8m2!3d50.748969!4d-1.2877995

Ibug,
You might be correct, the river is probably deeper than I guessed.

One of the marinas had a a 2.5 metre draught restriction and the ferry has a Maximum permitted draught: 2.713m.
https://www.redfunnel.co.uk/en/isle-of-wight-ferry/fleet-information/vehicle-ferries/mv-red-falcon/

https://www.cowesharbourcommission.co.uk/local_tidal_flows
The photo in this link shows the tide gauge by the Island Sailing Club measuring 3.5m with a max of 5m and that is at the mouth of the river.

"...Even for craft drawing as little as 1.5m, care has to be taken when navigating in the River Medina above Kingston Power Station ..."

The fuel depot for sale is just down stream of the power station.

So I was limiting the crude oil carrying capacity to a small shallow draught river vessel.

But the satelite version of the map
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Isle+of+Wight+Fuels+Ltd/@50.7482856,-1.2899136,17z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x8f6407ec8a9f5fcd!8m2!3d50.748969!4d-1.2877995

shows a 75m long vessel moored on the opposite bank to the fuel depot.

Perhaps UKOG could get more than 50 road tankers or 10,000 bbls of crude per load.

https://www.countypress.co.uk/news/18609973.isle-wight-fuels-close-loss-jobs---island-oil-fuel-supplies/?ref=rss

Handy riverside site, 12 km sail to Fawley and you might at high tide be able to load about 50 road tankers of crude oil into a shallow draft oil tanker before it became grounded in the mud of the river Medina.

Another way to gain exposure to Gold is via shares in Gold miners such as Altyn.

Current display bid offer 2.41p 2.70p
Actual bid offer 2.4301p 2.67p
Actual spread 8.9%

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53555771
"Gold hits record high as investor jitters spread"

I don't think jitters is the correct word, it is just the normal process of finding something to invest in that matches a persons requirements.

Gold price now $1935 oz

Still a few last minute comments being added even a couple of supporters.

Last day to register and support.

https://publicaccess.iow.gov.uk/online-applications/registered/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=makeComment&keyVal=Q7DSVFIQ07V00

UKOG reply to consultees 24-07-2020

https://publicaccess.iow.gov.uk/online-applications/files/FF8BB273B96039BD201367E5A3814432/pdf/20_00513_FUL-APPLICANT_RESPONSE_TO_CONSULTEE_COMMENTS-2857431.pdf

Gold price now $1903 oz

They don't need small shareholders to invest, they have received a bank loan and issued a bond and the family say that they would if need be provide additional funding. The golden goose is not going to lack nourishment any time soon.

Countrywide quarantine restrictions may delay the delivery of some of the new equipment, but Kazakhstan seems to be permitting the resource extraction industries to continue.
The management now appear to be making good progress .

No point reading all the repetative bleating from the cult of NIMBY ;-]

Thankfully the Document Type column breaks them down into
Public Comment
and
Consultee Comment.

Try this link to the documents list - then click on the relevant view pdf icon .

https://publicaccess.iow.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=Q7DSVFIQ07V00