New Zealand oil company Greymouth Petroleum Ltd has been granted consent for exploration drilling of petroleum on Stewart Island.
Southland District Council senior resource management planner Jennifer Green says the consent is for exploration over four months and allows one drilling well on a site at Horseshoe Bay Road.
Ms Green says the drilling is on private land and is for exploration only and any testing of the well, or drilling of further wells, will be subject to another resource consent application.
The consent will allow 24-hour drilling operations, temporary buildings or structures and minor earthworks.
Ms Green says the consent has been granted with 13 conditions, the key terms being that the consent is for a limited duration, noise monitoring will be undertaken by the council to ensure compliance with the predicted modelling and there will be complete rehabilitation of the site.
