Government gives last-minute go-ahead to UK fracking site

Energy minister says extraction of fossil fuel will aid ‘transition to a lower-carbon economy’

The drilling rig at Preston New Road shale gas exploration site (PA)

On the last day of parliament before the summer recess, the government has given the final go-ahead to allow fracking at a Lancashire site.

Shale gas extraction company Cuadrilla was given the green light to begin hydraulic fracturing at its Preston New Road site after the energy minister Claire Perry said she was satisfied the company had met all the necessary requirements for a permit.

It is the first time permission has been granted since a new regulatory regime was introduced and could see the first gas extraction since exploratory drilling caused two minor earthquakes at a site nearby.

Ms Perry said shale gas had the potential to be a new domestic energy source “further enhancing our energy security and helping us with our continued transition to a lower-carbon economy”.

She said: “It also has the capacity to deliver substantial economic benefits, both nationally and locally, as well as through the creation of well-paid, high-quality jobs.

“We already have an excellent, long-standing reputation for safe oil and gas exploration.

“Our world-class regulations will ensure that shale exploration will maintain robust environmental standards and meet the expectations of local communities.”

Ms Perry’s approval for extraction of the fossil fuel follows the endorsement of the plans and the conditions as assessed by government bodies including the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency.

The decision ignores the recommendations of independent government advisers the National Infrastructure Commission, which this month warned in a major report that “the UK cannot achieve its emissions targets while relying on natural gas”, and called on ministers to seize a “golden opportunity” to move towards greener energy without increasing consumer bills.

It also comes as the UK is gripped by a heatwave, along with countries including Japan, Algeria, Canada and Sweden. The latter issued an appeal for international aid last week as wildfires spread inside the Arctic Circle.

As carbon emissions have continued to rise, scientists predict increasingly severe heatwaves are likely to become increasingly frequent.

Jonathan Bartley, coleader of the Green Party, wrote on Twitter: “This announcement has been snuck out on the last day of parliament. In the middle of a global heatwave the government is kickstarting a new fossil fuel industry. It should hang its head in shame.”

Francis Egan, chief executive of Cuadrilla, said: “We are very pleased to be the first operator in the UK to have been awarded final consent to hydraulically fracture the UK’s first onshore horizontal shale exploration well.

“This is a testament to, and underpinned by, our strong track record of running a world class shale gas exploration site at Preston New Road, in compliance with robust health, safety, environmental and planning regulations.”

He added that the company would be submitting a consent application for a second well at the Preston New Road site.

Liz Hutchins, Friends of the Earth director of campaigns, said it had taken seven years for the industry to get to this point, during which time renewables had gone from supplying a tenth of the UK’s electricity to a third.

“There is no need to force fracking on this community in Lancashire when the alternatives are so clear,” she said.

“The government backed the wrong horse. Renewables have cleared the finishing line and have taken the cup while fracking is limping along on the first stretch.”

She added: “They have also had to really push the boundaries of planning law by trying to change regulations to go all-out for fracking, and they’ve put everything into resuscitating this nearly dead-on-its-feet industry.”

The announcement also comes ahead of a hosepipe ban due to take effect in parts of Lancashire from Sunday 5 August. Hydraulic fracturing uses millions of gallons of water, injected at high pressure, to break the rocks below the wells and allowing the gas to be brought out.

Fracking has been banned or suspended in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, leaving England as the only country where it remains an option.

In addition, the Labour Party, Liberal Democrats and the Greens are all opposed to the practice.

But England would have to build 6,100 wells to replace just 50 per cent of gas imports between 2021 and 2035, a study by Cardiff Business School found earlier this year, casting doubt on Conservative calls for a US-style fracking “revolution” in the UK.

The Conservatives’ 2017 manifesto said: “The discovery and extraction of shale gas in the United States has been a revolution. Gas prices have fallen, driving growth in the American economy and pushing down prices for consumers.

“The US has become less reliant on imported foreign energy and is more secure as a result. We will therefore develop the shale industry in Britain.”

Drilling 6,100 wells would require more than 1,000 separate well pads for drilling equipment each covering 3.5 hectares.

Each well pad requires access roads and facilities such as mobile cabins for offices, with the total amount of necessary space equivalent to around 4,900 football pitches.