Cuadrilla Inspects UK Homes for Seismic Damage

UK shale gas explorer Cuadrilla is inspecting the homes of people near Blackpool who have raised concerns about minor damage to their property following the August 26 2.9ML tremor, it said September 2. The privately-held company said it would repair any damage that is assessed to have been caused by the seismic events.

The event, which happened when Cuadrilla was not fracking. lasted for between two and three seconds and was felt by many in the locality. The ground vibration was between 5mm and 8mm/second, less than the 6mm-15 mm/second allowed in construction projects.

Fracking will not resume until Cuadrilla and regulatory body Oil & Gas Authority are confident that the technical questions have been satisfactorily answered and the risk of a repeat occurrence has been properly mitigated, it said.  There have been reports that the event was triggered when Cuadrilla fracked into a natural geological fault.

Cuadrilla has maintained since the outset of operations that its "aim is to establish a domestic energy supply that the UK really needs. The Bowland Shale as a whole could be a very important resource for Lancashire and the UK and we would like to continue with our work to prove this."