The Telegraph: Rathlin plans shale tests in northern England
A Canadian-owned energy company plans to conduct tests on shale rocks beneath the East Riding of Yorkshire this summer as the search for shale gas and oil widens across Britain.
Rathlin Energy is seeking environmental permits to carry out a series of tests on two wells at Crawberry Hill and West Newton, near Hull.
The plans include so-called “mini fall-off tests” in the Bowland shale rocks that, according to the permit applications, will “help determine whether the formation is capable of being hydraulically fractured” – the technical name for fracking.
Ministers hope fracking could provide a major new source of energy for Britain, with the Bowland shale, which stretches across the north of England, potentially providing enough gas to supply the UK for four decades.