UK Fracking Pioneer Welcomes Government Go-Ahead

The company which is pioneering hydraulic fracturing in the United Kingdom has welcomed the government's decision to allow shale gas mining to proceed.

But Cuadrilla Resources alsotold media that new restrictions being imposed by the authorities would add "millions of dollars" to the cost of exploration.

In a statement, chief executive Francis Egan described the government approval as a "turning point" for Britain's energy future, and that future work would be carried out to the highest environmental and community standards.

Cuadrilla's drilling in the Blackpool region of Lancashire was suspended 18 months ago after two minor earthquakes occurred near the site. 

Egan said his company had already started installing some 140 seismic monitoring devices in Lancashire, where it has a drilling licence covering 900 square miles.

The equipment will cost Cuadrilla “millions of dollars,” he said.