All onshore petroleum operations, including fracking, are to be banned in Northern Ireland and no new licences will be granted from now on, it was announced today.

Conor Murphy, Northern Ireland’s economy minister, told the assembly he would bring forward a proposal to ban all onshore oil and gas exploration and production.

Legislation is expected in 2025. But in the meantime, Mr Murphy said his department would not accept or process applications for onshore petroleum licences.

He said:

“As climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time, one of the key objectives of my Economic Vision is to reduce carbon emissions. To meet our net zero targets, a priority will be to move away from petroleum to renewables. 

“I intend to ban all forms of onshore petroleum exploration and production – including fracking. This will not only help us transition from fossil fuels to renewables but also towards a greener economy and more sustainable way of life.”

Mr Murphy, the Sinn Fein assembly member for Newry and Armagh, said “the vast majority” of respondents to a recent consultation on Northern Ireland’s petroleum licensing system supported a move away from fossil fuels.

Referring to bans in other countries, he said:

“The south of Ireland and Wales have recently banned all onshore petroleum activity, and Scotland has taken action on hydraulic fracturing, known as ‘fracking’.

“It is now time for us to act.

“I will soon ask Executive colleagues to approve a ban and, if this is granted, I will introduce legislation to this Assembly to ban onshore petroleum licensing. This will require amendments to the Petroleum (Production) Act (Northern Ireland) 1964 and other regulations.”

The minister added:

“The time involved in drafting the legislation and allowing for committee scrutiny means that the legislation will be introduced in 2025. In the meantime, my department will not accept or process onshore petroleum licensing applications.”

There are currently no active petroleum licences in Northern Ireland. The last active one was relinquished in 2020.

The Department for the Economy has the power to grant licences “to explore for, bore for and get” onshore petroleum in Northern Ireland. This power was granted by the Petroleum (Production) Act (Northern Ireland) 1964 and has been supplemented by further legislation since then.

Four assembly members, all from Sinn Fein, proposed a motion today calling for a ban on petroleum licensing, drilling and extraction.

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