Equipment leaving Cuadrilla’s shale gas site at Preston New Road, 18 December 2018. Photo: Thomas Burke
The shale gas company, Cuadrilla, confirmed that some equipment from its Preston New Road site near Blackpool was being demobilised today.
But the company refused to comment on whether this meant fracking had paused – at least for the time being – in Lancashire. Opponents of the company’s operations suggested the development could be the result of financial difficulties as investors “turned their backs on fracking”.
Observers outside the site had reported that up to five fracking pumps, a control panel and other equipment were taken off this afternoon.
In a statement, the company said:
“Lancashire’s shale gas exploration company Cuadrilla today said it was demobilising some equipment from its exploration site before Christmas, but already looking forward to welcoming it back in 2019.”
The statement added that Cuadrilla
“anticipated that equipment would be back on site in 2019 to continue operations within its current planning permission which includes the hydraulic fracture of the two existing wells at Preston New Road and completion of up to four wells in total for exploration purposes.”
A spokesperson added:
“We won’t be facilitating interviews at this time or commenting further.”
Fracking at Preston New Road has induced a total of 57 earth tremors and microseismic events since it began on 15 October 2018. The largest, measuring 1.5ML (local magnitude) and 1.1, were felt locally.
The company has confirmed it stopped fracturing operations five times in the past two months.
Three of the earth tremors were classified as “red events” under the seismicity regulations because they measured 0.5ML or more and happened during fracking. After these events, Cuadrilla had to pause fracking for 18 hours and check the integrity of the well.
There were also four trailing events – tremors measuring 0.5ML or above when fracking operations were not underway.
In October, Cuadrilla called for the 0.5ML threshold to be lifted and suggested that under the regulations it may be difficult to demonstrate whether the Preston New Road well was commercially viable.
Final frack?
Correspondence, seen by DrillOrDrop today, suggested that the final frack at Preston New Road – at least in this phase – was yesterday (Monday 18 December 2018)
According to the correspondence, the company had now “fracked every stage” of the first well. It’s understood the second well does not yet have final approval for its hydraulic fracturing plan.
The correspondence, from the British Geological Survey to a resident, said:
“Cuadrilla have now fracked every stage. I believe that that means this well is done.
“There is the second well, but Cuadrilla haven’t got a frac plan for that one yet so it will be a while before anything happens there.”
Preston New Road has seen the first UK fracking for shale gas since 2011, when Cuadrilla’s operations at Preese Hall induced earthquakes measuring 2.3 and 1.5 and led to a moratorium. The site also has the first horizontal shale gas wells in the UK.
“Hugely encouraging”
Most of Cuadrilla’s statement dealt with what the company described as “an amazing year”.
The chief executive, Francis Egan, said:
“We drilled the first two horizontal wells into UK shale, both safely and successfully completed, secured the country’s first ever hydraulic fracture consent and agreed the associated operation plans and then hydraulically fractured our first well.
“In recent weeks we have repeatedly seen natural gas flowing back to surface along with the water injected during the fracturing process and this flow of gas is in fact earlier than expected.”
He described the earth tremors as “challenges” and the regulations as “restrictions”. But he added:
“this early gas flow is a hugely encouraging signal of the potential locked up in this natural gas resource to heat our homes and businesses for many years to come.”
Mr Egan added:
“We believe that we are beginning 2019 in a place where our local community, our Regulators and national and local government can be assured by the evident professionalism and highly skilled approach of Cuadrilla.
“We are on the cusp of unlocking a huge economic opportunity which can benefit Lancashire and the UK for decades to come and reduce our ever growing reliance on imports of natural gas from all corners of the globe.”
“No confidence in Cuadrilla’s performance”
Opponents of Cuadrilla’s operation, Frack Free Lancashire, welcomed the news that, in its words, “Cuadrilla are retreating from the site over Christmas to lick their wounds”.
The group said:
“2018 has indeed been an amazing year for Cuadrilla, but not in a good way. They have suffered serious delays, breached their permissions on at least 9 occasions, provoked 57 earthquakes and seen their parent company’s share price drop like a stone
“The local community takes no comfort from reassurances about safety given those 9 breaches and 57 quakes to date.
“We have been watching Cuadrilla operate since 2011 and nothing we have seen gives us any confidence in their performance.
“We believe this removal of equipment may be indicative of potential resourcing issues as investors turn their backs on the fracking industry in general, following a series of bad news stories over the last few weeks.
“Only this week Igas had to admit to not having even been able to locate the Bowland Shale beneath their Tinker Lane site. This is not an industry which inspires confidence.
“Cuadrilla’s only hope for 2019 would now appear to be to persuade the government that the “gold standard” regulation, that the community was promised to protect it from seismic activity, should be weakened to allow them to carry on.
“This must not be allowed. If they can’t operate within the limits of the system they claim to have developed themselves they should remove the rest of their equipment and leave the Fylde once and for all.”
Categories: Industry
DRILL OR DROP? 
Strange really because no other company would be interested in this rusty kit, especially over Xmas.
They’re be no rent reduction or whatever.
I’m deducing they’re screwed by earthquakes and investor de-investment
There is some sand and a water supply just waiting for some pumps at KM.
Did anyone think to follow the HGV’s when they left PNR?
Still nothing worth reading from the pros. I think they are struggling again.
I think they cannot answer Greta’s question Refracktion?
I think not only will they not give her and her generation a future, it’s that they can’t give Greta and her generation a future?
Like some dreadful carrousel from that book by Ray Bradbury “Something Wicked This Way Comes” that cannot stop until it burns up everything and drains all life from its captive riders.
Meaning all of us of course.
Time to stop the carousel and reverse it then isn’t it?
At least some of us heard you Greta.
What is there worth posting, reaction? You are obviously finding the same.
Read the Cuadrilla PR. Somewhat different slant to it than the speculation provided by DoD. But, then, I suppose it was only to be expected that Cuadrilla would continue fracking over Christmas just for the antis to claim they were not respecting the festive season, even though they had completed well 1!
There must be lots of the ‘positives’ of Mr Egan to report on Martin.
Back in 2017, Mr Egan promised us in ‘our’ Fylde that we were to be kept cosy and warm with home grown gas.
Back in September this year both wells were to be fracked in weeks.
Now Mr Egan proudly announces natural gas is flowing back to the surface ‘earlier than planned’.
Clearly the pumps are no longer needed ‘cos presumably the gas flowing from well 1 is ample to keep us all nice and warm. Maybe it’s an early Christmas present, plumbed in to the mains gas ahead of schedule?
This Mr Egan! What a guy! So positive! So sincere and upstanding to ‘his’ local community.
A lot of hypes and positive spin by Cuadrilla and Mr Egan. The longer it drag ou the longer they are on the pay check.
Indeed Tgn01 and it’s those with stock in AJL and centrica who are footing the bill for that paycheck
Why would the pumps be required if they were not fracking, Richard? Just because you have little knowledge regarding their function maybe others do not.
I certainly had no expectation they would frack away without pausing to assess the success of the first well. What do you expect testing to look like? Obviously something very different, but it has cost a lot of money to get to this stage so I would certainly anticipate they would frack one well, test output and then move onto the other, utilising the information from the first to refine their operation.
Gold Standard-and all timed to allow for the Christmas break, some maintenance, and mince pies.
(By the way, if you read again you might understand the comment about “earlier than planned” relates to the time between fracking and the gas flowing.)
Martin they did state that they would frack both wells then flow test to be fair. No doubt a change in plans. And I am openly a supporter!
Martian is right – what they are doing now is nothing like what they originally planned (at least according to the Project Plan I saw before they started). That had fracking on Well 2 completed by February 2018. They are so hopelessly adrift from any plan they may have started with, and they have hit so many problems that it would be wrong to judge what they are doing by any normal expectations. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how long to takes them to work up a new head of steam.
Those investors are a patient lot aren’t they?
Blair-yes, I recognise that, but having had the traffic light issue during well 1, then I would certainly expect a pause to examine the first well frack before the second starts. After all, by the time they get to number 4 they will want to have optimised the system otherwise they will have achieved less than they could. We may still see the full flow test after 1&2 but I anticipate there might be a mini test early in 2019 for 1.
But, some actual news, from the real world this am:
For Sherwulfe: “Solar panel owners must give away surplus energy.” Whoops.
For Reaction: ” Scrappage cash for white van man to ditch dirty diesels”. BMWs to follow?
For PhillipP: “Price of oil hit by booming US shale”. Looks as if the majority will see their motoring costs constrained by fracking! (Apart from French ones.)
For Jack & John: “Shell’s fracking move”. (Possible $8 billion acquisition for Endeavor Energy.) Looks pretty uneconomic!
Merry Christmas.
“by the time they get to number 4”
At the current rate of progress that may be sometime in 2021 and after another 200 earthquakes. 😂
You seem to be in a hurry, reaction. Worried about the declining support for the antis? Hmm. By 2021 should be very few left with little to do as further injunctions applied. Yes, I see your concern.
So plenty to comment and speculate on Martin.
No fracking of well 2 as planned. Maybe because they haven’t got permission rather than by choice? Hydraulic Fracture Plan of well 2 been approved yet? So forced into testing the flow from well 1. And where’s all the gas in the flowback gone so far? Bottled up for another staggeringly impressive 20 second flaring? Cold vented into the atmosphere? I’m sure we’re soon in for a real flaring treat provided the gas hasn’t sneaked up all those nasty faults they keep finding. Then there’s the use of novel frack sleeves rather than dynamited pilot holes that provide the initial entry hole for a more efficient frack. Any flowback fluid been going anywhere for disposal or all recycled?
It would be nice for ‘our’ local community to be informed of this and future plans.
Or perhaps there isn’t any more planning anymore?
Speculate away Richard. I am sure it will all be clear through the fog over the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, I will remember my time within agriculture when after one harvest the combines were serviced and maintained to be ready for the next harvest. Maybe we will see this harvest was good, or bad, as time goes by, but I suspect other harvests will still be conducted as and when appropriate.
Anyone for sprouts?
You might generate more gas output from the sprouts than from PNR.
I would think it obvious that due to any information the company provides is turned around & used as propaganda against them. So they have stopped providing such information. so now your all guessing.