MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falkland Island's booming economy: request to develop two 200-bed accommodations

Stanley becoming a city that never rests

In anticipation of the business opportunities the oil industry will bring to the Falkland Islands, a leading company has plans to build in the capital Stanley two temporary 200-bed accommodations, according to the planning applications received.

One of the projects refers to the development of 200-bed temporary workers accommodations including laundry block, canteen, recreation room and management office, to be built a the Old Butchery Site on Moody Brook Road.

The second similar request for another 200-bed temporary workers accommodation is presented in two options and is to be located at the Dairy paddock on Darwin Road. The company is one of the strongest operating in the Falklands since the XIXth century: The Falkland Islands Company, FIC.

Last January FIC announced plans to build in Stanley 26 two bedroom apartments in the form of an 80 metre long terrace on land were previously there were temporary housing and offices since removed. The project was finally approved after long discussions by the Islands Planning and Building Committee.

The Committee was informed that the most likely occupants of this development would be personnel connected with the oil industry. A recommendation for planning permission to be granted had been made by the Environmental Planning Officer (EPO), subject to standard conditions and others relating to access, drainage, parking and water supply. These would have to be complied with before occupation of the units could be allowed.

To have an idea of the magnitude of the proposal 400-bed accommodation, the Falklands’ population according to the April 2012 census was 2.841 and 2.121 in the capital Stanley.

The Falklands’ oil industry expects to be pumping crude sometime in 2017 according to an update on the Sea Lion project, a farm-out of Rockhopper Exploration was provided by UK Premier Oil at a public presentation in Stanley.

Premier Oil said that the Falkland Islands Sea Lion project is one of their biggest operations undertaken to date involving an investment of 5 billion dollars. It is currently estimated that the Sea Lion field has recoverable oil resources of between 300 and 350 million barrels.