Blackpool Shale Gas Drilling Suspended After Earthquake
Test drilling for shale gas has been suspended near Blackpool after the second earthquake in the region in two months.
Utility Exchange reported last week that the extraction of shale gas in the UK was set to be given approval as exploration tests have been carried out near Blackpool. The company drilling for shale gas, Cuadrilla, said work had been suspended as a precaution after an earthquake measuring 1.5 on the Richter Scale.
British Geological Survey (BGS) data shows that a tremor on 1 April shared a “similar location and mechanism”. However, it’s not clear whether the extraction process known as fracking is the reason for the earthquakes and it’s for this reason that drilling has been suspended until it has been investigated further.
The process of extracting shale gas is called fracking and it involves the hydraulic fracturing of the ground using high pressure liquid to shatter the rocks underground and release the gas.
The chief executive of Cuadrilla Resources, Mark Miller, said “We take our responsibilities very seriously and that is why we have stopped fracking operations to share information and consult with the relevant authorities and other experts. We expect that this analysis and subsequent consultation will take a number of weeks to conclude and we will decide on appropriate actions after that”.
The fracking process began in March and since then there have been two small earthquakes. BGS said it was monitoring the fracking process and after analysing the earthquake which occurred on the 1 April said “Any process that injects pressurised water into rocks at depth will cause the rock to fracture and possibly produce earthquakes. It is well known that injection of water or other fluids during the oil extraction and geothermal engineering, such as Shale gas, processes can result in earthquake activity”.
The extraction of shale gas may help to ensure UK energy security particularly as wholesale gas prices are pushing up both domestic and business gas prices. But the process of extracting shale gas is controversial particularly as it involves forcing liquids and chemicals into the ground to release the gas. In the United States there are claims that water supplies near drilling sites have been contaminated and environmentalists had called for all drilling to be stopped until its safety was assured.