Cuadrilla granted permission to start fracking

0
Claire Perry: Backing fracking

Cuadrilla has been granted planning permission to start fracking in Lancashire by energy minister Claire Perry.

The government has made a number of moves to oversee planning for shale gas in recent years.

Cuadrilla can now start to extract methane via hydraulic fracturing from the Bowland Basin via the Preston New Road site, provided government receives latest financial accounts for equity partner Spirit Energy, or Cuadrilla deposits £557,000 in an Escrow account to support potential decommissioning liabilities.

Perry is also clean growth minister. She suggested shale gas could enhance energy security, create jobs and “[help] us with our continued transition to a lower-carbon economy”.

The UK is heavily reliant on gas for heating and industrial processes, and has been a net importer of gas since 2004. While renewables are increasingly penetrating power generation, gas remains the single biggest generation source.

See the decision here.

Related stories:

Drums beat louder for gas security inquiry

Government moves to bring shale gas planning under its remit

Tax-funded shale gas community payments to be capped at £400k a year

National Grid issues gas deficit warning, asks market to pull out stops

Electrifying heat: Too expensive or too little ambition?

Gas picks up coal’s generation share as renewables output remains flat

Cordi O’Hara: Gas will be central fuel for years to come

Centrica to close Rough, UK’s largest gas storage facility

Click here to see if you qualify for a free subscription to the print edition of The Energyst, or to renew.

Follow us at @EnergystMedia. For regular bulletins, sign up for the free newsletter.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here