--UPDATE, ADDS MORE DETAILS-
Britain’s Oil & Gas Authority (OGA) has announced that a Total of 159 new shale licence blocks have been issued to companies.
The offers, the government’s 14th Licence Round, see new areas of the country potentiall opened up for shale gas, though other conventional oil and gas projects also feature.
The licence terms foresee up to 98 new wells, of which at least nine would be fracked.
It marks the end of this licensing process and follows an early tranche of offers in August, when 27 licence blocks were offered.
The second and final tranche comes after additional environmental assessments. Of the 159 blocks, 75 are subject to prohibitions banning some or all activities in certain areas of the block.
IGas (LON:IGAS) has been offered a Total of 17 new licence blocks as operator, including seven in partnership with Total and four alongside GDF.
French major Total is partnered in seven of the blocks offered to IGas.
Alkane Energy (LON:ALK) offered six blocks, with two firm commitment wells.
Angus Energy, which plans to list in London, has been offered five blocks alongside partners UK Oil & Gas Investments (LON:UKOG) and Solo Oil (LON:SOLO).
As operator Egdon Resources (LON:EDR) has been offered six blocks with one firm well commitment.
Egdon is also a partner in 12 other blocks
Europa Oil & Gas (LON:EOG) has been offered two licence blocks as operator, with no firm well commitment, and it is also a partner in three others.
Notably, among those Egdon and Europa are partnered in two blocks by operator Third Energy, which is owned by Barclays’ private equity investment business.
Upland Resources (LON:UPL), a standard listing on the London Stock Exchange backed by former Cove Energy director Steven Staley, is a partner (alongside Europa) in a block offered to Ineos.
INEOS has been offered a Total of 37 blocks, it is committed to drilling a number of wells and is would also be required to frack as many as nine wells in order retain the assets.
Privately owned Cuadrilla, which currently has the most advanced UK shale projects, has been offered eight new licences as operator.
GDF Suez has been offered six blocks as operator, and is a partner in a number of others.
Ithaca Energy (LON:IAE), meanwhile, is partnered with operator Perenco in two blocks alongside Maersk Oil North Sea UK.
Infrastrata (LON:INFA) was offered two licences.