A French company, Total SA, is to drill an oil exploration well in the Porcupine Basin, off the south-west coast of Ireland, the Minister for Public Enterprises, Ms O'Rourke, announced yesterday.

The company will be drilling under its Frontier Exploration Licence, granted in 1995, at block 35/17, about 150 kilometres off the Kerry coast. Total has DSM Energy and Conoco as its partners.

Marathon Petroleum is also expected to drill a well in the Porcupine Basin later this year, while Statoil, which holds a lease undertaking, is currently conducting a two-well appraisal programme at the Connemara Field to determine whether oil can be produced on a commercial basis.