Cuadrilla given green light for UK fracking

Cuadrilla has received final hydraulic fracture consent from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) for its first horizontal shale gas exploration well at its Preston New Road site in Lancashire, after completing all the required environmental and health-and-safety measures needed to secure the go-ahead. The company is now in the process of preparing to apply for consent to carry out hydraulic fracturing operations for its second horizontal shale gas exploration well at the same site.

Reacting to the news, Ken Cronin, Chief Executive of UK Onshore Oil and Gas (UKOOG), the trade association for onshore operators and the wider supply chain, said: ‘This is a momentous achievement… At a time when the UK, and indeed the whole of Europe, is becoming ever more dependent on imported fuels it is very encouraging that we are taking steps to reverse the trend. By doing this we will bring back home the job opportunities, investment and tax revenues lost by outsourcing our energy needs while securing our energy future and signalling that the UK is beholden to no one now or into the future.’

According to Cuadrilla, the two wells at Preston New Road have helped drive over £10mn into the Lancashire economy and create over 60 jobs, whilst communities are directly benefitting through Lancashire based funds and payments.

Cronin continued: ‘This is just a flavour of what a fully-fledged UK onshore gas industry can provide. With 84% of us heating our homes with gas, industry using it as a vital feedstock and gas meeting nearly half of our electricity demand, the question is not whether we use gas, it’s where we source it from, and the answer should be at home. With this in mind, Lancashire can today be proud that it is at the forefront of Britain’s indigenous energy revival.’