Enterprise Oil, Statoil and Marathon Oil have dropped a plan to jointly market gas from their Corrib field off the west coast of Ireland.
The three firms withdrew an application for anti-trust clearance for the joint marketing and will market the gas separately, the EU Commission said today.
"The Commission welcomes the decision of the Corrib owners to market the gas individually, which will give gas consumers in Ireland a wider choice between gas suppliers," it said.
The Corrib field was recently declared commercial and will be Ireland's only exploited gas field after the depletion of the Kinsale field in coming years.
The companies had argued joint marketing would counterbalance the buying power of Bord Gáis and the ESB.
The move will support "liberalisation" of the Irish gas market and confirms the Commission's policy not to tolerate joint selling unless there are compelling reasons to justify it, the Commission said.
AFP
