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| Company at heart of fracking protests applies for new drilling licences | Company at heart of fracking protests applies for new drilling licences |
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| The company at the heart of the anti-fracking protests in Sussex is applying for new licences to drill for oil in the local area, to the fury of campaigners, and is planning to reopen its Lancashire operations within weeks. | The company at the heart of the anti-fracking protests in Sussex is applying for new licences to drill for oil in the local area, to the fury of campaigners, and is planning to reopen its Lancashire operations within weeks. |
| Cuadrilla's current licences to explore for oil at Balcombe in West Sussex, expire later this month, and the company had been seeking an extension. For weeks, hundreds of protestors have tried to disrupt its activities in the area in order to draw attention to what they see as the dangers of "fracking", a controversial procedure that has been associated with air and water pollution in the US. | Cuadrilla's current licences to explore for oil at Balcombe in West Sussex, expire later this month, and the company had been seeking an extension. For weeks, hundreds of protestors have tried to disrupt its activities in the area in order to draw attention to what they see as the dangers of "fracking", a controversial procedure that has been associated with air and water pollution in the US. |
| Instead, the company said on Tuesday it would apply for fresh permits that would still not allow for hydraulic fracturing at the site, but which would give it more freedom in exploring for economically recoverable stores of oil. | Instead, the company said on Tuesday it would apply for fresh permits that would still not allow for hydraulic fracturing at the site, but which would give it more freedom in exploring for economically recoverable stores of oil. |
| The company said: "[We have] decided to submit a new planning application to cover the flow testing of the horizontal oil exploration well at Lower Stumble, Balcombe. The new application will cover the same well testing that is in the currently permitted activity but will include revised planning boundary lines showing the extent of the horizontal well being tested. It will not include additional drilling or any hydraulic fracturing." | The company said: "[We have] decided to submit a new planning application to cover the flow testing of the horizontal oil exploration well at Lower Stumble, Balcombe. The new application will cover the same well testing that is in the currently permitted activity but will include revised planning boundary lines showing the extent of the horizontal well being tested. It will not include additional drilling or any hydraulic fracturing." |
| The Balcombe site was first drilled for oil by Conoco in the 1980s, but was found to be not economically viable. Cuadrilla has taken over the site in the hope that modern technology − including refined drilling processes, the possibility of drilling horizontal wells branching off the main vertical well, and if these techniques fail, the use of fracking − will make the site economically viable for oil extraction. Fracking is the process of blasting high-pressure water, sand and chemicals at dense shale rocks in the hope of opening up tiny fissures that release microscopic bubbles of natural gas trapped within, which can be captured at the surface and piped off. | The Balcombe site was first drilled for oil by Conoco in the 1980s, but was found to be not economically viable. Cuadrilla has taken over the site in the hope that modern technology − including refined drilling processes, the possibility of drilling horizontal wells branching off the main vertical well, and if these techniques fail, the use of fracking − will make the site economically viable for oil extraction. Fracking is the process of blasting high-pressure water, sand and chemicals at dense shale rocks in the hope of opening up tiny fissures that release microscopic bubbles of natural gas trapped within, which can be captured at the surface and piped off. |
| Cuadrilla said the new plans for permits, which will have to be approved by the local authorities and the Environment Agency, were needed to ensure that its right to drill in the area could not be subject to legal challenge. The company said in a statement: "Our original planning application was approved in 2010 with a boundary delineation covering the surface drilling site area. Our decision to make a new application for the well testing activity, rather than an extension of previously approved activity, is to resolve any potential legal ambiguity around how the planning boundary should be drawn for a subsurface horizontal well. | Cuadrilla said the new plans for permits, which will have to be approved by the local authorities and the Environment Agency, were needed to ensure that its right to drill in the area could not be subject to legal challenge. The company said in a statement: "Our original planning application was approved in 2010 with a boundary delineation covering the surface drilling site area. Our decision to make a new application for the well testing activity, rather than an extension of previously approved activity, is to resolve any potential legal ambiguity around how the planning boundary should be drawn for a subsurface horizontal well. |
| "As this is a new planning application, the county council will consult with interested third parties and we will have the opportunity for further engagement with Balcombe residents about our well testing plans. We will continue doing all we can to conclude our exploration work in a safe, responsible and timely manner." | "As this is a new planning application, the county council will consult with interested third parties and we will have the opportunity for further engagement with Balcombe residents about our well testing plans. We will continue doing all we can to conclude our exploration work in a safe, responsible and timely manner." |
| A spokesman told the Guardian that the new move would result in some delay to the company's activities, but said it would not be significant. He also said that the company would take the first steps to reopen its operations in Lancashire − on hold for more than a year, owing to government inquiries into two small earthquakes associated with the drilling − in the next two months. | |
| Cuadrilla halted drilling in Balcombe before the current protests began last month, moving away most of its heavy equipment at the site as it became clear that protestors were likely to gather in force and attempt direct action on the site, including forming a human chain to block access. Although the Balcombe site has not been the subject of fracking, Cuadrilla is still the only company to have undertaken large-scale and high-volume fracking in the UK, at one of its sites in Lancashire. | Cuadrilla halted drilling in Balcombe before the current protests began last month, moving away most of its heavy equipment at the site as it became clear that protestors were likely to gather in force and attempt direct action on the site, including forming a human chain to block access. Although the Balcombe site has not been the subject of fracking, Cuadrilla is still the only company to have undertaken large-scale and high-volume fracking in the UK, at one of its sites in Lancashire. |
| Fracking on a small scale with primitive technology has been used at some sites in the past decades in the UK, but Cuadrilla's operations have been the first to use modern methods. These methods have come under fire in the US as they have been associated with large leaks of methane, flaring of excess methane, and the widespread despoliation of the landscape. Cuadrilla has said that its UK operations will be subject to much tighter regulation than any sites in the US. | Fracking on a small scale with primitive technology has been used at some sites in the past decades in the UK, but Cuadrilla's operations have been the first to use modern methods. These methods have come under fire in the US as they have been associated with large leaks of methane, flaring of excess methane, and the widespread despoliation of the landscape. Cuadrilla has said that its UK operations will be subject to much tighter regulation than any sites in the US. |
| But protestors and green campaigners claimed the change of heart by Cuadrilla over its site permits was a victory. Leila Deen, energy campaigner at Greenpeace, said: "Cuadrilla's plans for Balcombe are a dog's dinner. They only recently submitted an application to extend the drilling window, now they've already withdrawn it and admitted they're reassessing the programme. It's not yet clear if this is a shift of direction or if the company merely got its sums wrong. Either way, the local council has the opportunity to revisit its previous highly controversial decision to give Cuadrilla the green light in Balcombe. The poster boy for fracking looks like it's in trouble again." | But protestors and green campaigners claimed the change of heart by Cuadrilla over its site permits was a victory. Leila Deen, energy campaigner at Greenpeace, said: "Cuadrilla's plans for Balcombe are a dog's dinner. They only recently submitted an application to extend the drilling window, now they've already withdrawn it and admitted they're reassessing the programme. It's not yet clear if this is a shift of direction or if the company merely got its sums wrong. Either way, the local council has the opportunity to revisit its previous highly controversial decision to give Cuadrilla the green light in Balcombe. The poster boy for fracking looks like it's in trouble again." |