Third Energy UK

Third Energy UK Gas is a gas exploration company, previously known as Viking UK Gas Ltd (until November 2013) and Tullow UK Gas Ltd (1999-2003).

The company is described by Barclay's Natural Resources Investment portfolio as a 'start up business that is focused on acquiring and developing gas assets in the Southern North Sea and Central North Sea. The team is led by Rasik Valand (CEO) and consists of executives with significant E&P experience in the UK.

People

• Rasik Valand (CEO) - a co-founder of Third Energy

Directors

• John Alexander Gordon Dewar, Director, 26 Jul 2011-
• David James Robottom, Director, 12 Mar 2012-
• Rasik Valand, Director, 26 Jul 2011-

Controversies

According to campaign group FrackOff:

Viking UK Gas (a subsidiary of Third Energy) was caught using Cuadrilla’s drilling rig (which is now drilling for IGas at Barton Moss) to drill a deep well into the Bowland Shale at Kirby Misperton in North Yorkshire. The primary target of the well was the conventional Skipton Moor Grit formation but the well was drilled to a total depth of around 9,000 ft, below the bottom of the Bowland Shale. Core sampling the Bowland Shale at Kirby Misperton is just one small step towards fracking Yorkshire, but given that slowly creeping forward seems to be the name of the game

at the moment, all these small steps need to be fought or full scale fracking will soon be a reality.

It turns out that at the same time a company called Rathlin Energy were doing a very similar thing in the East Riding of Yorkshire, just to the north of Hull. Rathlin has drilled two wells at Crawberry Hill near Beverley and at West Newton near Aldbrough (see map below). While portrayed as purely conventional oil wells both were drilled much deeper than the primary target, ending just below the bottom of the Bowland Shale (9,200 ft for Crawberry Hill and 10,500 ft for West Newton – see schematic below). For both wells the primary target was the Permian era Caedby Formation at a depth of less than 4,900 ft but a secondary objective was to take core samples of the Bowland Shale. Rathlin has now submitted applications for two permits from the Environment Agency for continued testing of the West Newton well, with a public consultation (ending on the 4th March 2014). The permits are for the management of extractive waste (EPR/BB3001FT/A001) and a radioactive substances activity (EPR/PB3030DJ/A001). This application for a radioactive substances permit has attracted some attention in the area but not nearly as much as it should have done. Even more worryingly Rathlin has now submitted a similar application for the Crawberry Hill well (Mining Waste Operations – EPR/BB3000KC/A001, Radioactive Substances Activity – EPR/PB3930DV/A001) with a public consultation (ending on the 12th March 2014).

Companies House details

Company Number: 01421481

Status: Active

Incorporation Date: 21 May 1979 (almost 35 years ago)

Company Type: Private Limited Company

Jurisdiction: United Kingdom

Registered Address: KNAPTON GENERATING STATION, EAST KNAPTON, MALTON, NORTH YORKSHIRE, YO17 8JF

United Kingdom

SIC Codes

06.10 - Extraction of crude petroleum

06.20 - Extraction of natural gas

Previous Names

• Viking UK Gas Ltd (2013-11-29)
• Tullow UK Gas Ltd (2003-12-11)
• Perenco UK Ltd (1999-03-02)
• Kelt UK Ltd (1995-08-04)