In a letter to shareholders coinciding with the explorer’s half-year results, Mackay said there had been “much speculation in the press that our PEDL 181 licence is prospective for shale gas”.

The AIM-listed explorer recently gained a 12-month extension on the first phase at PEDL 181 in East Lincolnshire, which it operates on a 50% stake along with Celtique Energie and Egdon Resources on 25% each.

Europa