Insider Media Limited

Alfreton-based Tesla Exploration has been hired to carry out a series of seismic surveys in North Lincolnshire in search of oil and gas reserves. The prospector will be in the area for up to 20 days and is set to produce maps of any potential oil reservoirs that may exist.

Egdon Resources UK, a Hampshire-based oil and gas exploration company, hired Tesla to carry out the geophysical seismic survey.

Surface-based exploration using the seismic technique will be used with shallow drilling to take place in locations where it is not possible to use "vibrator trucks", which generate a sound signal.

The work entails specialist, lightweight, all-terrain vehicles drilling shot points across a series of pre-determined traverse lines.

Then an extensive cable network is laid on the ground surface with the shot points loaded with small explosive charges to be detonated, it was revealed.

The locations under investigation by the Derbyshire company are Roxby, Appleby, Bigby, Brigg, Elsham, Holme, Scawby and Wrawby in North Lincolnshire.

Egdon managing director Mark Abbott said: "Egdon and its joint venture partners [Europa Oil and Gas and Celtique Energie] are about to commence the acquisition of a seismic survey in an area.

"The contractor for this work, Tesla Exploration, is highly experienced in such surveys in the UK and will be in the area for up to 20 days, with around ten days of active seismic operations.

"The resultant seismic data, once processed by sophisticated computer software, will enable us to image the various rock layers in the sub-surface and produce maps of the structure of the potential oil reservoir intervals to see if suitable oil traps may exist in the area.

"If this work is positive we will then look to apply for permission to drill one or more exploratory wells to test for the presence of oil."