Cuadrilla Applies to Horizontally Drill Fourth Lancashire Well

UK-based and -focused Cuadrilla Resources has said today that it plans to apply for a permit to drill a horizontal well at its Anna's Road, Lancashire site. 

The company plans to use the horizontal well as an extension of a vertical well it is currently drilling on the site. This planned extension would extend approximately 1,000 metres from the vertical well over one mile beneath the surface, Cuadrilla said today. 

The company says the horizontal well would be used to assess the shale rock at the site and its consistency and to assess whether the gas trapped in the shale rock could be viably recovered. However, it has stressed that hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is not part of this permit application. Should the company wish to frack at the site, it will have to apply separately in the future.

Cuadrilla says the planned well is a further step in its bid to open up Lancashire's gas potential.

"This new well is an important part of our on-going exploration programme and will progress the work we are carrying out to understand whether it will be viable to recover the natural gas beneath the Bowland," CEO of Cuadrilla Francis Egan, said today. "By advancing the exploration programme with this horizontal well we will move closer to unlocking what is potentially a very important energy resource for Lancashire and for the UK."

The company, which has previously faced controversy and protests following tremors caused as a result of its operations in Lancashire, also said today that it would hold a Public Information Day at the beginning of September to discuss the operation.

Former CEO and current Development Director, Mark Miller said that the well would be comparatively smaller to a number of wells already existing in the UK but said that the information gleaned could be vital.

"The horizontal well we are proposing is fairly modest when you compare it to others that have been drilled in the UK and the hundreds of thousands drilled around the world," he said. "However, the information we will be able to gather from this relatively short well will be invaluable in helping us to understand how much natural gas can be recovered."