Cuadrilla Seeks Fracking Consent, Legal Protection (Update)
Updates in final para, Cuadrilla also applies for government permission to frack well
UK shale gas explorer Cuadrilla said May 21 that, together with local farmers, it has filed papers to the English High Court seeking an injunction covering its Preston New Road wellpad in northwest England.
It said there will be a hearing May 31 on the injunction in Manchester which would replace and extend the duration of the existing ban on trespassing at the site and surrounding farmland, and also prohibit unlawful obstruction of the site entrance and adjacent main road, including “lock-ons” where people chain themselves to objects or people to prevent access.
Cuadrilla CEO Francis Egan said: “Whilst we fully respect the right to peaceful and legal protest, unfortunately over the last 18 months we have seen an extraordinarily high level of unlawful protest activity. This has been directed at and impacted not just our workers but also our suppliers and other law-abiding citizens using the main road passing our site for their normal daily activities.”
The claim lodged with the court by Cuadrilla says that police have made over 350 arrests since January 2017 in connection with protesters' activity at the site and at supplier sites in four English counties: Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Norfolk. Last year Ineos also secured injunctions to limit protesters’ activity at its shale gas exploration sites.
Last week the government said it would provide a new package of support for UK shale gas explorers, prompting activists to complain it is trampling over local democracy.
Cuadrilla recently completed the UK's first ever horizontal shale gas well and said it might even be producing by next year if all goes to plan.
Later on May 21 it announced it has submitted an application to business and energy secretary Greg Clark for consent to hydraulically fracture (frack) the UK’s first ever horizontal shale gas well. The well itself was completed last month at its Preston New Road exploration site, Lancashire. Cuadrilla has all the other necessary permits and planning consents required for fracking; the nod from Greg Clark being the last requirement.
Separately a UK conventional oil explorer Angus Energy said May 21 its application to take over the onshore Balcombe oil discovery licence (PEDL244) in southern England from Cuadrilla had been approved. The area saw protests a few years ago when it was believed that Cuadrilla would frack for shale oil there. Cuadrilla and Lucas Bolney remain partners with Angus. The latter said May 21 it will conduct an approved 7 day well test on the horizontal well at Balcombe before the end of September 2018 and that "all operations at Balcombe will be performed through conventional production; there will be no fracking."