An Australian fracking company has announced it will drill boreholes in Fermanagh in August, to test for natural gas in the area.

Tamboran Resources said “no fracking” will take place at the site in Belcoo, but the company will instead “drill a scientific borehole to collect rock samples” in an attempt to “assess the extent of natural gas present in Fermanagh.” The proposed borehole will be about 15cm (6in) across and around 750m deep. Tomboran said “it will be drilled using standard techniques and materials.”

30 days

The test drilling is expected to take in the region of 30 days, after which the samples will be assessed for gas particles.

Fracking has been an emotive and contentious issue in the Republic since Tamboran announced in 2011 its intention to commence fracking operations in the northwest.

In an interview with the Irish Farmers Journal in May, former Energy Minister Pat Rabbitte confirmed that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently carrying out an environmental risk assessment on fracking in the south and a report should be finalised for publication in 2015.

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is the fracturing of rock in an attempt to extract resources, such as shale gas, from the earth.