Equipment arriving at Angus Energy’s oil site at Balcombe, 18 September 2018. Photo: DrillOrDrop
Angus Energy is seeking the go-ahead for an extended well test at its Balcombe site in West Sussex.
In a statement yesterday evening, the company said it had applied to the Oil & Gas Authority (OGA) and the Health and Safety Executive.
A short-term well test in September at Balcombe encountered unexpected water. Equipment problems also meant the company ran out of time to do more than two tests. Details
Yesterday’s statement said:
“The operation at Balcombe is planned to remove all remaining wellbore and drilling fluids from said well and leave the well ready for extended long term production prior to submitting a Field Development Plan to the OGA and agreeing such with the local planning authority. It will also allow the utilization of the current well testing package from Brockham.”
Angus said the local planning authority and community liaison committee would be consulted “in due course to agree a way forward”.
West Sussex County Council granted planning permission in January 2018 for limited work and duration at the Balcombe site.
The conditions restricted work to mobilisation, flow test and pressure monitoring. Work must cease within six months of the date of the commencement of development. Planning permission decision notice for application WSCC040 17 BA
Angus Energy tweated that the flow test had started on 24 September 2018. This would mean that work must be completed by 24 March 2019, or 44 days from today.
There is no information in the Angus statement about the duration of the proposed well test but a new planning application could be needed.
Categories: Regulation
DRILL OR DROP? 
So rather than sort out the ” Easy to fix ” water problems at the flagship Brockham well Angus decide to go to Balcombe again. How much pressure have Cuadrilla put on this decision ? After all its obvious that Cuadrilla need to recoup some of the huge losses at PNR , maybe this had something to do with the boardroom antics . All is not what it seems but that’s Angus for you .
Jono, you failed again. Where does it say Angus can do only work on one project? 🙂 Especially when Balcombe require to go trough some bureaucracy period.
Coming to getcha…
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/feb/10/pupil-strike-climate-change-puts-schools-on-spot
What a great idea!
Stop the school run with the Mums in their 4X4s, because the kiddies are too lazy to walk, and climate change is cracked!
Didn’t know you thought that Balcombe was such a hot, profitable prospect Jono.
Just perhaps it is more about where the site is, rather than anything more complicated.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2019/02/09/anti-fracking-brigade-will-strengthen-putins-grip-uks-energy/amp/?WT.mc_id=tmg_share_tw&__twitter_impression=true