Spanish Ministry initiates consultation for new gas wells at El Romeral

MADRID: The Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge has initiated the Statutory Consultation of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for an application to drill five new natural gas wells at the El Romeral production concessions, owned by Tarba Energía S.L. The confirmation was received on January 24, 2025.
Prospex Energy plc (AIM: PXEN), an investment company focused on European gas and power projects, announced that the consultation marks a significant step forward in their drilling plans. The El Romeral concessions, which produce electricity from their own natural gas, were granted a ten-year extension last July, allowing production to continue until July 2034.
The five new wells will target optimal structures on the El Romeral concessions, aiming to extract biogenic gas from shallow subsurface horizons, approximately 700 meters deep. Each well is expected to take three to four weeks to drill once the drilling rig is mobilized.
The EIA, submitted by Tarba in May 2024, includes comprehensive environmental monitoring and assessment. The Ministry has dispatched the EIA and supporting documents to the Area of Industry and Energy of the Government sub-delegation in Seville, and to 29 statutory consultees, comprising public administrations, stakeholders, and various institutions.
Following the public gazetting of the EIA application, a statutory consultation period of 30 working days will commence, allowing the general public to submit inquiries and requests for further information. Tarba will address these inquiries during this period.
At the conclusion of the consultation period, the Junta de Andalucía will present its findings and recommendations to the Ministry in Madrid, which will then conduct a final review and approval process. This final review is expected to take between 90 to 180 days, during which all mandatory statutory reports will be gathered.
In the meantime, Tarba is preparing for the drilling operations by finalizing detailed well designs, sourcing essential long-lead items, and securing necessary contractors.
Mark Routh, CEO of Prospex, commented, “This is a positive step in the process to approve the permits to drill five new wells on the El Romeral concessions. Natural gas will continue to play a crucial role in Europe’s energy security and ecological transition. The shallow biogenic gas from El Romeral will have a significantly lower carbon footprint compared to imported natural gas.”
Routh also highlighted that the El Romeral power plant will reach full output capacity with just two of the five new wells, with additional gas supporting expansion plans and the ability to supply directly to the grid. “We are excited by the development potential of El Romeral and look forward to keeping shareholders updated on the permitting process,” he added.