Fracking to Proceed in the UK
A report released by an independent scientific panel commissioned by the UK government has given cautious approval to the resumption of hydraulic fracturing in the UK.
Hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") operations, a key part of the extraction process involved in shale gas development, were put on hold after two small earthquakes near to Blackpool were thought to be linked to operations being undertaken by Cuadrilla Resources.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) reported that an earthquake on May 27 was recorded at a magnitude of 1.5, following one in the same area on April 1 at 2.3. The epicenter for both had been identified as being within hundreds of meters of Cuadrilla's Preese Hall drilling site at depths of 2.0 and 3.6 kilometers respectively.
The BGS said that correlations between the earthquakes and the time of hydraulic fracturing operations used to extract shale gas and the proximity of the quakes to the site, all pointed towards the earthquakes being a result of the fracking process.
Cuadrilla suspended fracking operations in June 2011 and commissioned a review from independent experts to investigate the possible connection between shale gas exploration activity and earthquakes in Lancashire.
The Cuadrilla report, The Geo-mechanical Study of Bowland Shale Seismicity, found that it was "highly probable" that two earthquakes were linked to hydraulic fracturing.
The panel was convened by Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to review the finding of Cuadrilla’s report and to make recommendations fto mitigate seismic risks in future hydraulic fracture operations for shale gas.
The experts conclude that fracking should be allowed to continue, but that a stringent earthquake precautionary regime should be put in place.
They recommended preliminary seismic checks should be undertaken before fracking proceeds on other sites in the UK and the implementation of a "traffic light" early warning system of proceeding freely, proceeding with caution and halting. Any tremors of magnitude 0.5 or above would be treated as a red light signal for fracking to stop.
David MacKay, chief scientific advisor at the DECC commented: "If shale gas is to be part of the UK's energy mix we need to have a good understanding of its potential environmental impacts and what can be done to mitigate those impacts."
"This comprehensive independent review of Cuadrilla's evidence suggests a set of robust measures to make sure future seismic risks are minimised - not just at this location but at any other potential sites across the UK."
DECC said it would invite comments on the report for a six-week consultation period, before a final decision on fracking is to be made by Charles Hendry, the energy minister.
Related Reading: Cuadrilla Resources: The Waiting is the Hardest Part