we will drill for gas off central coast

EXPLORATORY gas drilling off the Central Coast will go ahead - but not until after the Federal Election, one of the main companies behind the venture says.

Bounty Gas and Oil, which is a major partner with Advent Energy in the enterprise, is sticking by what it told the Australian Securities Exchange - drilling is expected to start off the coast in the area known as PEP 11 in the last quarter of the year, probably October.

Bountys chief executive officer Philip Kelso said the drilling apparatus would be at least 50km off shore and not visible from land.

The sites could be off Forresters Beach or Catherine Hill Bay.

Previously it had been suggested the drilling could be 20km offshore.

The reality is that the Ocean Patriot rig is drilling offshore in Victoria this month, Mr Kelso said.

That will take some months and after that it will be available for the PEP 11 program.

In the meantime we will make appropriate applications for a drilling permit.

Mr Kelso said while the company did not want to become a political football, a lot of money had been invested in the program.

The reality is that natural gas, which is the principal target in this block, is a much cleaner source of energy than burning coal, he said.

Offshore drilling goes on all around Australia all the time - nothing has changed since 1967.

We would expect any permit applications to be dealt with according to the law.

Mr Kelso said drilling rigs would not be visible from the shore.

In 2004 we conducted a very large seismic survery in the area with all appropriate permits and there were no issues at all, he said.

This would leave a much smaller footprint than that.

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