U.K. Green Lights Second Shale Gas Well

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Shale gas company Cuadrilla Resources (Lichfield, England) has been given the green light to begin fracking at a second well at its controversial Preston New Road site in Lancashire, England.

The U.K.'s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) granted hydraulic fracturing consent for the project last week, a few months after it granted permission for the first well. These are the first two horizontal shale exploration wells to be drilled onshore in the U.K. Planning and permits required for both wells have already been secured so the company said that fracturing at both wells will be underway in the coming weeks. For additional information, see August 7, 2018, article - U.K. Fracking Project Gets Government Thumbs Up.

"We are delighted to receive this consent," commented Francis Egan, chief executive officer of Cuadrilla. "We are currently completing works on site in readiness to start hydraulically fracturing both wells in the next few weeks. The U.K.'s need for a new and reliable source of natural gas, the cleanest fossil fuel, is underlined by a new report suggesting the U.K. is going to have to rely on more coal to generate electricity. That would be a massive backwards step in reducing carbon emissions, as would continuing to import gas over long distances by pipe and ship. We are very proud to be the first operator in the U.K. to make significant headway in shale gas exploration."

The first horizontal shale well was completed by Cuadrilla in April 2018 through the Lower Bowland shale rock at approximately 2,300 metres below surface and extends laterally for roughly 800 metres. The second horizontal shale gas well was completed in July 2018 and was drilled through the Upper Bowland shale at an approximate depth of 2,100 metres below the surface, extending laterally for some 750 metres through the shale. Following hydraulic fracturing of these first two horizontal wells, Cuadrilla will run an initial flow test of the gas produced from both wells for approximately six months.

The practice of fracking sees a mix of water and chemicals injected at very high pressures into the shale in order to crack it and release pockets of shale gas. The issue has been the subject of much protest and debate in the U.K., but the government is determined to exploit the country's limited and untapped shale gas resources. In August 2016, Industrial Info reported on Prime Minister Theresa May's plan to speed up fracking by launching a scheme to pay local residents a share of the profits. The "Shale Wealth Fund" is believed to be in the region of £10,000 ($13,100) per household--or up to £10 million ($13.1 million) per community affected. For additional information, see August 12, 2016, article - U.K. to Pay Residents to Speed up Shale Gas Revolution.

A British Geological Survey (BGS) study of shale gas across the north of England estimated a total shale gas resource of 1,300 trillion cubic feet. This compares to the current U.K. annual gas consumption of around 2.5 trillion cubic feet. Neighbouring country Ireland banned fracking last year. For additional information, see July 4, 2017, article - Ireland Bans Fracking.

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