Cuadrilla's "Quaking" Problem
In the article 'Fracking Pioneers Pentrate Europe", Guy Chazan of the Wall Street Journal discusses the challenges facing UK based Cuadrilla Resources.
Cuadrilla, which made the U.K.'s first shale-gas discovery near Blackpool last year, is seeking to replicate North America's shale-gas boom in Europe.
Company head Mark Miller has since been working hard to persuade residents of the Blackpool area that the hydraulic fracturing operations required to extract shale gas, were safe.
That was before the area around Blackpool was shaken by two earthquakes, resulting in Cuadrilla suspended its fracking operations.
The quakes left Blackpool-area residents "angry and distressed," says Philip Mitchell, chairman of the local Green Party. "They've told me they feel like guinea pigs."
People had been generally supportive of fracking, but some changed their minds after the tremors. "They should have investigated how it could affect the earth before they went ahead," said one local woman.
Even so, one of the most closely watched energy projects in Europe is now on hold, and the publicity has dealt a blow to the image of shale gas, already under attack from environmentalists on both sides of the Atlantic.
Read the Full Article from the Wall Street Journal HERE
Related Reading:
Local Council Seeks Greater Monitoring of Cuadrilla Activities
Britain: No Change in Shale Position
Cuadrilla to Expand Drilling Despite Quake Setback
MPs Call for Investigation of Possible Link Between Fracking and Quakes