Europa Oil & Gas (Holdings) plc, the UK and Ireland focused oil and gas exploration, development and production company, notes today’s update from Egdon Resources (‘Egdon’) advising that the Planning Inspectorate has now set the commencement date of the planning inquiry to hear an appeal against the refusal of planning consent for the development of the Wressle oil field by North Lincolnshire Council’s Planning Committee on 28 November 2018.  
 
The public inquiry will commence on 5 November 2019 with the hearing expected to last up to six days at a venue which has yet to be confirmed. The Planning Inspector will be Mr. Phillip Ware.
 
The Wressle oil field was discovered in 2014 by the Wressle-1 well.  During testing, a total of 710 barrels of oil equivalent per day were recovered from three separate reservoirs, the Ashover Grit, the Wingfield Flags and the Penistone Flags. In September 2016, a Competent Person’s Report provided independent estimates of reserves and contingent and prospective oil and gas resources for the Wressle discovery of 2.15 million stock tank barrels classified as discovered (2P+2C). Europa has a 30% working interest in licence PEDL 180 in the East Midlands which holds the Wressle oil discovery, alongside Egdon (operator, 30%), Union Jack Oil (27.5%), and Humber Oil & Gas Limited (12.5%) (together ‘the Partners’).  
 
Europa's CEO, Hugh Mackay, said: 
“Recommended for approval by the Council’s Planning Officer and supported by an expert third party review undertaken on behalf of the Council, the Partners are not alone in believing the new proposals for the development of Wressle comprehensively address all the points raised by the Planning Inspector in the original appeal.  At a proposed initial gross rate of 500bopd, Wressle has the potential to more than double Europa’s existing production to over 200bopd which, with Brent currently trading above US$70 per barrel, would generate a significant revenue stream for the Company. We are therefore keen to bring this discovery online at the earliest opportunity and with this in mind we are looking forward to the public inquiry in November.”

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