A crane has been installed today at Cuadrilla’s shale gas site at Preston New Road in Lancashire.
Local reports also said lorries had gone onto the site, where two wells are due to be plugged and abandoned.
A letter from Cuadrilla sent late last night to a resident living close to the site said:
“I am writing to let you know, that Cuadrilla plans to begin moving equipment onto the Preston New Road site from Monday 7th March to start work on plugging the two gas exploration wells with cement and removing the valves and surface pipework from the wells and from the site. This work, in industry terminology referred to as “plugging and abandoning” the wells, follows-on from formal notification issued by the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) in relation to the plugging and abandoning of both wells.”
“Our well plug & abandonment works, which includes the mobilisation and demobilisation of the rig and associated equipment, will be undertaken in accordance with our planning permission.
“The works will be completed in line with all applicable Regulatory and HSE requirements. It is anticipated that it will take approximately 5 weeks from rig set-up to complete the work on both wells.”
Opponents of the site have welcomed the abandonment of the wells.
Frack Free Lancashire said it was:
“pleased to see that work has finally commenced to plug and abandon the fracking wells at Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road site, following the OGA’s formal instruction to do so. We hope that work will be carried out swiftly and without further distress to local residents, who have already endured this insidious industry for far too long, against local democracy and consent.
“We will never get back the time, energy and emotional investment spent battling against the fracking industry and their dirty PR campaign, but we are looking forward to a future where clean and green energy is prioritised over dirty fossil fuels.”
Under its planning permission, Preston New Road is due to be restored to farmland by April 2023. The company has said restoration would take about 12 months.
Susan Holliday, of Preston New Road Action Group, said:
“Cuadrilla have a poor track record of timely site restoration so we will be looking to Lancashire County Council to ensure Cuadrilla meets its obligations at PNR.”
Plugging and abandonment at Preston New Road was announced last month by Cuadrilla’s owner, the Australian mining group, AJ Lucas.
Yesterday, several newspaper reported the work would start on Tuesday 15 March 2022.
Preston New Road has been largely mothballed since August 2019, when fracking caused an earthquake measuring 2.9 on the local magnitude scale.
In November 2019, a moratorium was extended across England because of the uncertainty about fracking-induced seismic activity. The moratorium remains in force.
Last week, the Preston New Road wells were the subject of a parliamentary question from the Conservative MP, Steve Baker. He asked what steps the government would take to prevent plugging and abandoning the wells at Preston New Road.
The energy minister, Greg Hands, replied:
“Gas wells need to be safely decommissioned at the end of their useful life. The Oil and Gas Authority is acting within its statutory remit to require the operator of these wells to decommission them.”
Yesterday, Mr Baker was quoted by the Daily Mail and the Sun saying:
“The minister’s suggestion that these wells are at the end of their useful life is outrageous.. they are ready to produce shale gas so that we can create British jobs and tax revenues, energy security and a faster route to Net Zero.
“The only thing that is causing a problem here is… the state mandating that we pour concrete down Britain’s only shale gas wells at the height of an energy crisis.”
DRILL OR DROP? 
We see the phrase “energy security” bandied about by the likes of Steve Baker. However he has never explained whether he has assurances from this current Cabinet that all gas from onshore fracked wells (if there is any) will be ring fenced for the use of British people. This is an interesting omission, perhaps he has no way of ensuring himself that this will occur, despite his spreading ideas of jobs and other possible spin offs from fracking onshore.
Meanwhile over on the East coast Wressle is currently pumping around 700bopd and flaring large amounts of Gas every day without any “fracking” at all. The daily oil amount is about to be increased and the gas will be used to generate electricity onsite to run the complete site with remaining gas sold. West Newton further up the coast is the largest onshore discovery for over 50 years and does bot require “fracking” either. Activists did try to call it a “fracking” site but had to [Edited by moderator] change their attack to “unconventional” drilling, whatever that entails. The government should make a condition of their drilling licence should be to supply the UK at an agreed price with any surplus sold on the open market.
Are you talking about West Newton A? If so, Planning Condition 17, I think the number is correct, states:
“Hydraulic Fracturing is not permitted
… as defined by the Infrastructure Act 2015 and means the hydraulic fracturing of shale … and involves … the injection of more than 1,000 cubic metres of fluid at each stage, or expected stage, … or more than 10,000 cubic metres in total.”
This of course reflects the re-definition of ‘fracking’ in the 2015 act, designed to permit what the rest of the world calls fracking.
[Edited by moderator]
laith1720, that is why the definition of fracking in the newly adopted minerals plan for North Yorkshire did not rely on the Infrastructure Act definition. This is now precedent, I think other planning authorities that are updating their plans should do likewise. Though I appreciate some plans have fairly recently been updated and adopted before the North Yorkshire plan.
Great to see so many fracking terminology experts on this forum….
You really should check your definitions of hydraulic fracturing under PPG, and how UKOOG and the industry freely interchange the terminology when it suits them, whilst spitting their dummy out when others use their semantic plays against them. (I notice that you used the word fracking in inverted commas.) Typical industry PR and spin, but hey, when that’s all you’ve got, I suppose it’s inevitable. Oh, and West Newton has yet to be proven; after two dubious well tests and numerous share dilutions, the assumption for production is based on similar modelling which predicted the Gatwick gusher, now blasting out a whole 100 barrels a day!
If you had any reasonable knowledge of the licensing system, you would realise that as private contracts between 2 parties, (the OGA is a limited company, remember??) the terms and conditions could not be changed without mutual consent. What corporations are going to accede to such when there is money to be made? 8,363 gigawatt hours (GWh) of gas flowed out of the UK in December 2021. The December figures in previous years are:
2020 – 4,753
2019 – 4,866
2018 – 3,333
In other words, in the middle of a gas crisis that is pushing bills skywards, Britain exported twice as much gas as normal in December. KERCHINNGGGG!
Dennis, just giving the export figures for one month without also providing the production, import and demand figures doesn’t give a very accurate or clear picture.
The latest data from BEIS indicate that during 2021 the UK imported 482TWh of gas and exported 75TWh.
If these figures are confirmed in the DUKES 2022 report, then gas exports during 2021 will have been the lowest on record.
UK gas exports to Ireland increasing fast due to depletion of Corrib. UK also exports gas from some North Sea Fields which only have pipelines that land in Europe. UK also exports summer oversupply to Europe via the Bacton – Balgzandic pipeline which is two way since 2018.
For those that object to UK gas exports, would you like to see Ireland without electricity (most Irish electricity is gas generated). And the gas we send to Europe in the summer could be replaced by gas from Russia?
I’m surprised the crane managed to squeeze by the protestors!
I’m surprised Cuadrilla could afford a crane!
Shame some wind farms can not afford heating for their staff, John. DYOR. It is a very pathetic story that I am sure some family and friends are coming to terms with.
—-
[Moderator] I assume you are referring to this story, Martin.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/wind-farm-worker-death-frozen-b1908818.html
As you will see from the account, there was a hut with generator and heat, but the generator failed. The staff member tried to walk to the next hut, half a mile away. Police found him in deep snow suffering from hypothermia. He later died.
Please do not refer to incidents without providing links – this is the way that fake news is created and spread. Such references, together with the surrounding comment, are liable to deleted in future.
Paul [\Moderator]
And, what was the finding against the two companies, Paul?
(Why supply the link if you think no one will read it?)
No fake news at all. Two companies were found to have not provided a reliable source of heating or a reliable means of communicating with the emergency services. Those are the substantiated facts determined, as found and reported in the link that you provided. Somewhat different to your text which edited out some of the content.
I suggested readers who might be interested did their own research. You did. What did you find? Just what I indicated. Fact. Others would have found the same. It was yourself who had difficulty with what was in the link, so that you needed to edit it. I am not sure why you should want to do that and then add the link in full.
I am always open to correction Paul, but you might choose items that are incorrect to try and correct.
Martin
It was not the case that the companies couldn’t afford heating – rather that the heating they supplied was not reliable. Similarly, they had failed to provide a reliable way of contacting the emergency services.
So a tragic industrial accident at one windfarm (not some wind farms as you suggested).
It is a courtesy to provide links for your claims, so readers can come to their own decisions on the reliability of the source and the actual content.
Thanks to the link, you and I can come to our own conclusions about what the story shows. Without it I have to rely on your interpretation.
No you do not, Paul. You found the link, then edited it. I suggested people DYOR. That requires UK wind farm and death to be entered. You showed how easy it was. The information was there, it required no editing.
To try and connect such an actual tragedy to fake news is your choice. But that is not what the report shows.
It happened, and the two companies were found culpable. Perhaps the answer would have been to make sure there were accessible back up facilities, which there weren’t?
Equally, where was John’s link to whether Cuadrilla might be able to afford a crane? You were left relying on his interpretation, and seem content in that situation.
Let’s leave it there. There is no VAR, so the referee rules. However, they are as prone to error as the players, and this player should have his yellow overturned.
We have energy security in terms of supply but are subject to global gas prices. As we would be if they ever (which I hope they don’t) produced any shale gas.
We lack gas storage because of the decisions surrounding Centrica and Rough. But we have great pipe connectivity with other European countries and good LNG facilities.
We only get a small percentage of gas, I’ve read circa 4%, from Russia. We are not in the same position as some other countries in such as Germany and Italy that are heavily dependent on Russian gas.
Storage is a red herring, KatT. It would not help price or availability of gas in UK by having more storage.
Shale gas will keep on flowing into UK from elsewhere. Difference is that shale gas is beyond the UK to control in terms of environmental issues or obtain any benefit in terms of taxation acquired during production. So, it will be used in UK and someone else will control it. Not so bad if it is the USA but if the Middle East then it is UK sons and daughters who will be required to secure the shipping lanes. Not too much of an issue when USA was interested in the Middle East, but that interest is rapidly waning.
So, when the new war ships are required for the UK navy, where will the taxation revenue come from to pay for them after UK has exported much of it’s industry? Oh yes, the individual tax payer.
Our pipe connectivity requires one small underwater drone to disconnect. I would not consider that great.
Supply lines from over the horizon are never secure, never have been and never will be. They are the Achilles heal that will be kicked by those who wish to get people on their knees.
Martin, it could take one drone to blow up a rig in the North Sea, a drone to blow up an LNG facility. We can sit with tin foil on our heads or accept reality ie that we have one of the most secure energy supplies because we have diversity of supply.
Ranked 4th in the world, I’d say that is pretty secure!
But feel free to come back and argue again, after all you like the last word. But facts are facts and the last word does not mean you are right.
https://trilemma.worldenergy.org/
So KatT, you are implying that on shore UK oil and gas are the most secure supplies!
Welcome to the club of the newly converted. You will be the first amongst many. Takes a crisis to show the common sense required. It was determined during WW2 and then conveniently forgotten, with siren voices claiming fake security.
I await your support for new UK on shore exploration and development. Your letters to the planners should carry extra weight as a sinner who has repented.
I seem to have the last word because the antis leave the debate with half baked suggestions. Can’t have the young left with half baked fare, can we?
My boiler won’t fire up. Should I check the thermocouple or check for a drone strike first?
You have a boiler, John??
One that should fire up??
Maybe check your membership of the antis.? I suspect excommunication may the issue.
‘We only get a small percentage of gas, I’ve read circa 4%, from Russia. We are not in the same position as some other countries in such as Germany and Italy that are heavily dependent on Russian gas.’
So, where will Germany get their gas from? Mother Theresa?
Some people can’t see beyond the end of their nose.
My point is related to the U.K. as there have been many calls for fracking in the U.K. on the basis that it will lower gas prices and provide the U.K. with energy security. I have, in my comment, stated Germany and Italy get their gas from Russia. I did not comment nor suggest where else or what other energy alternatives Germany or Italy may or may not have. So your comment is meaningless and perhaps you can’t see beyond of your nose.
So you think gas prices are the same all around the world, Kat? You’ll find the big fracked-gas producers have lower domestic gas prices.
‘ I did not comment nor suggest where else or what other energy alternatives Germany or Italy may or may not have.’
Don’t you think that might be a teeny bit important, Kat?
Terri, What has anything you are saying got to do with the comments I made? Absolutely nothing, completely irrelevant.
I could ask you about the different geology and the much larger, less densely populated land mass might be a teeny bit important, couldn’t I?
Or ask you the size of the U.K. shale reserves are much smaller than those in the US might be a teeny bit important too.
However, this would be as irrelevant to what your comments.
But please enjoy arguing with yourself
KatT, relying on someone else’s production and then hoping to be the one that’s willing and able to pay the highest price for that product during times of crisis, doesn’t seem a very secure or sensible policy to me.
Today, fracked gas trading on the Henry hub in the US was sixteen times cheaper than gas trading on the UK NBP and Dutch TTF. That’s the stark difference between a net exporter and net importers.
That situation is only set to decline inline with UKCS production and increased competition from the likes of Germany who look set to build two LNG terminals following the lessons learned over the past few weeks.
[Comment removed by moderator]
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/07/johnson-hints-oil-and-gas-output-must-rise-to-wean-uk-off-russian-supplies
“Boris Johnson has said the UK may have to increase its domestic gas and oil production in order to wean itself off Russian resources, despite the opposition of climate campaigners and some scepticism in the cabinet.”
[Edited by moderator] Many of the activist videos and posts initially calling West Newton a Fracking site when it was never planned to be. West Newton is sitting on a reservoir and not shale at that point and flowed freely to the surface without stimulation, but not at a commercially viable rate.
Indeed Paul: it’s funny that, we’ve had the anarchist rebellionklan!, Cop26, Netzero and now the invasion of a peaceful nation by a tyrant and a bully!
Now let’s produce more oil and gas. You couldn’t make it up!, the Germans are away to open up their coal mines and resurrect existing power stations!, time the get fracking and to h£ll with the Anti’s!!