Executives from a Texas oil company are to meet Dunedin City Council members on Wednesday evening to try to resolve environmental concerns.
Andarko Petroleum has delayed its plans to drill two test wells off the Canterbury-Otago coast by a year because it says it could not hire a rig this summer.
Anadarko owned a quarter-share of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, which exploded in the Gulf of Mexico last year.
The company says Dunedin is a logical servicing centre for exploration, and has been in dialogue with the council for more than a year.
A spokesperson says the company offered to brief the council because of public concern a disaster could happen in New Zealand.
The briefing will by Anadarko New Zealand's Asia-Pacific exploration manager and an environmental protection expert.
