Cuadrilla plans nine new wells

SHALE gas firm Cuadrilla Resources has announced it will seek planning consent to drill nine new wells in Lancashire.

In a statement it said it will apply to drill six temporary exploration sites in the Fylde where it will hydraulically fracture, or frack, and test the gas flow. The locations will be announced in the coming months.

It also plans three more vertical exploration wells and will ask for permission to frack at Grange Hill, near Singleton, where it has already conducted tests. Cuadrilla also has existing exploration sites at Becconsall, near Banks and Preese Hall, near Weeton where it carried out fracking in 2011.

It said a decision on drilling and testing at the existing Anna’s Road site in St Annes will be deferred until later in its exploration programme.

The fracking process required to extract shale gas involves pumping large amounts of water, mixed with chemicals, underground at high pressure and has many opponents.

Environmentalists claim it can pollute the water table and last year the government imposed a temporary ban on fracking after a minor earthquake in Blackpool was linked to Cuadrilla’s operations at Preese Hall. This was lifted in December and Chancellor George Osborne is now promising tax incentives to support the industry.

Francis Egan, Cuadrilla’s chief executive, said: “The purpose of all our ongoing exploratory work is to demonstrate that natural gas can be produced from the shale in commercial quantities. By sharing our plans for the exploratory programme, we hope that people will have an understanding of what we plan to do and why. The British Geological Survey last week confirmed the exciting scale of Lancashire’s gas resource, and we look forward to working closely with local communities and regulators as our exploration work progresses.

“The UK increasingly depends on imports for its supplies of gas. Gas is vital in heating our homes and businesses, supplying our industry and, along with other fuels and renewables, generating our electricity. According to a recent report by the Institute of Directors, natural gas from Lancashire could lead to thousands of new jobs, higher tax revenues and lower emissions. We remain at the exploration phase of assessing the possibility, and together with our new partners at Centrica Energy, we are committed to doing this transparently, safely and sensibly. ”

Last month British Gas owner Centrica said it would invest £160m in a share of Cuadrilla’s shale gas licences in Lancashire.