Moratorium: Northern Irish Fracking’s Mortal Wound?
The chasm between supporters and opponents of hydraulic fracturing widened in Northern Ireland last week as the Northern Assembly voted in support of a moratorium on onshore and offshore fracking. The vote passed with 49 votes to 30, with a further 13 ministers, all members of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) abstaining from the vote. The vote was buoyed by support from three parties in particular, the Green Party and Alliance Party, who forwarded the motion, and Sinn Féin.
So far in Northern Ireland, four companies have been granted oil and gas exploration licences, to explore in three of the six counties that make up the country. The four companies are InfraStrata, Tamboran Resources, Rathlin Oil and Providence. To date, none has applied for permission to undertake hydraulic fracturing work in the country.
Political opponents of fracking say that the risk of contamination to drinking water and the environment prompted the call for a moratorium until the effects of fracking can be determined.
Sinn Féin MEP, Bairbe de Brún, one of the most vocal opponents to shale extraction, says that an environmental impact assessment (EIA) is essential before fracking can begin.
“I welcome the news that [December 6th’s] motion, which called for a moratorium on the controversial gas extraction method known as fracking, was passed in the Assembly with Sinn Féin's support,” she said in a statement to Natural Gas Europe.
“It is imperative that a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment is undertaken before any potentially dangerous drilling is even considered. Many constituents and indeed professionals have voiced their numerous and genuine concerns on the matter which cannot be ignored in the ongoing dialogue.”
Mnister de Brún says that the potential ramifications for the environment and tourism were too costly to ignore. The potential knock-on effect for drinking water and for Northern Ireland’s large agricultural sector must be investigated, she said.
“Furthermore, at a time when we should be increasingly looking towards clean and renewable forms of energy, the question must be asked why people here in Ireland would put such emphasis on exploring new sources of fossil fuels.”
De Brún’s party, Sinn Féin, has also supported an investigation on the effects of fracking in the Republic of Ireland, which currently has 16 exploration licence holders, three of those onshore. The main cause for concern among the party is the danger to potable water.
At present, Northern Ireland is in a quagmire in regards to gas supply. While environmental concerns are cited heavily by protesters of fracking, the process simultaneously offers myriad advantages to Northern Ireland. Primarily, a ready supply of gas found onshore or offshore of Northern Ireland would grant the country greater security and independence in energy matters. Northern Ireland currently does not hold any indigenous marketable gas supplies, and must rely on outside suppliers.
Shale gas could also prove a valuable resource to Northern Ireland in the future.
“It is essential that as a Minister I support those who are willing to invest money here,” Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Arlene Foster told the Assembly at the moratorium. “However, at the same time, I will always pay serious consideration to any concerns which have been raised, in this case, concerns about the potential risks of trying to exploit potential oil and gas reserves here. These concerns are, for the most part, genuine, and I appreciate that the many people who have written to me or emailed me about the issue have deeply held views.
“It is important, therefore, that I emphasise that should these explorations prove fruitful, and lead to a wish to go further and try to extract this valuable commodity, the necessary application for drilling and developing oil or gas will be subject to the full rigour of the Planning system and associated Environmental Impact Assessment process. “
The Minister also stressed that there had been no indication or application as of yet to perform hydraulic fracturing in Northern Ireland.
“We can hardly impose a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing because no permit has yet been issued,” she said. “Nor is any application expected for 12-18 months. During that period we shall reap the benefit of several in-depth scientific and engineering studies currently in progress, notably in the US.”
In fact, of all four companies who hold licences for oil and gas exploration in Northern Ireland, only one so far has voiced any intention to frack in the future. Earlier this week, InfraStata, one of the four licence-holders, told the Northern Irish newspaper the Larne Times that it had no intention to undertake any hydraulic fracture stimulation.
“InfraStrata would not wish to comment on ‘unconventional’ exploration and fracking of shales because it is not what they are exploring for,” a public relations firm engaged by the company told the newspaper. “They are looking for ‘conventional’ targets that do not involve fracking.”
Although unconventional exploration was mentioned in the company’s original application to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI), the public relations agency told the Larne Times that this was due to a partnership with American eCORP at the time, which had experience in unconventional excavation. However, eCORP is no longer a stakeholder in the Central Larne-Lough Neagh Basin licence so no unconventional gas is being sought at the moment.
Of the four licence-holders, Australian company Tamboran Resources is the only company to consider fracking in Northern Ireland, though it says it will be conducting chemical-free fracks.
Tamboran holds a substantial licence in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, covering the Lough Allen Basin, found in parts of counties Leitrim, Roscommon, Sligo, Cavan and Donegal in the Republic, and Fermanagh in Northern Ireland.
The company has always maintained that it supports strong regulations of hydraulic fracturing and says that that much of the mistakes made in the US were the result of complacency.
CEO of Tamboran, Richard Moorman, says much of the motivation and information put forward is support of the moratorium results from inaccurate scientific evidence gathered from the controversial documentary, “Gasland”.
Speaking to Natural Gas Europe, Mr. Moorman said that, contrary to what is seen in the film, Tamboran’s shale exploration activities are 100 per cent safe.
“We found the vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly disappointing; it was very clear from the vast majority of the negative comments put forward by opposition representatives that they were simply quoting junk science statements that appear in only one place in the world; an American entertainment film production called ‘Gasland’,” he said.
“It has to be disappointing to see such a reckless lack of independent study when considering the implications of such an important project, which can literally bring billions of pounds worth of direct VAT, corporation tax, and income tax revenues directly into the Northern Ireland economy as well as several hundred direct jobs in County Fermanagh.”
Besides the financial and economic benefits, he says that the advantage to supply, which is heavily dominated by Russian and Middle Eastern interests, is massive; that advantage, though, does not have to come at a price. Tamboran will abide by strict environmental policies to ensure that shale gas excavation will not damage the environment in Northern Ireland and will continue to follow the directives of the government in these matters, Mr. Moorman says. He strongly denies that there is an inherent risk associated with fracking.
“Despite the misinformation spread by anti-development groups, we know our operations are safe. With over 4 million wells drilled worldwide, and over 1 million of those hydraulically fractured, there is no question that natural gas can be safely produced in Northern Ireland for the benefit of its citizens and local communities.”
Mr. Moorman points to the successes of the shale gas industry to emphasise how the small number of failings has been exaggerated to seem worse than they are.
“In 2011, almost 90 per cent of new wells drilled in the USA will have been hydraulically fractured. Over 20 billion cubic feet of gas per day (nearly 30 per cent of US daily natural gas production) already comes from shale gas. This would be impossible to do if even a fraction of the anti-development claims were true.
“Tamboran Resources will continue to move forward to satisfy its obligations to the government with its planned extensive environmental impact assessments for multiple drilling locations within Northern Ireland. We plan to bring forward a proposal to explore for natural gas by drilling in early 2013.”
Despite the moratorium placed on fracking, Tamboran may get its wish. Currently, no legislation exists to compel a Northern Irish Minister to act upon a moratorium; indeed, many moratoriums have been disregarded since the country was granted autonomy on legislative matters under the Northern Ireland Act 1998. Since no provision exists, Minister Foster may choose to disregard the moratorium, though, with the weight of political pressure on her, the decision is not likely to be a simple one.
Fracking may be on hold for the moment in Northern Ireland, but with a weight of energy, financial and political considerations, the case for it and against it hinges on the scientific and environmental outcomes in study at the moment.