Cuadrilla should be given an extra two years to return its controversial fracking site near Blackpool to farmland, council planners have said.
In a report published yesterday, officials recommended approval of the company’s planning application to postpone the deadline for restoration at the Preston New Road shale gas site until 30 June 2025.
The site has been largely mothballed since August 2019, when fracking caused a 2.9ML earthquake, felt across the Fylde region.
The regulator, now the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), ordered fracking to stop at the site. Just over two months later, the government introduced a moratorium on fracking in England.
Cuadrilla’s application for more time is due to be discussed at a meeting of Lancashire County Council’s development control committee next week (Wednesday 7 June 2023).
The existing planning permission, granted by the local government secretary in October 2016, required all drilling, fracking, testing and restoration to be completed within 75 months of the start of work. Cuadrilla and residents have previously reported the permission was due to expire on 5 April 2023.
The 17-page report by Jonathan Haine, head of development control, said:
“It is unfortunate that the site restoration works have not commenced before now, but a number of factors have occurred which have resulted in the restoration works being deferred.
“The retention of the site for a longer period would result in an extension of the existing landscape and visual effects, although for a relatively short additional period. There is no evidence that the site cannot be restored to an adequate standard.”
“Blatant disregard of planning laws”
The company’s request to vary condition 2 and delay restoration has been opposed by local councils and residents.
Fylde Borough Council said the site was an industrial development and the “excessive” time extension sought by Cuadrilla meant there would be intrusion on the countryside “without appropriate justification”.
Westby Parish Council strongly objected to the extension and supported comments made by the local county councillor, John Singleton.
Cllr Singleton (Conservative) said the application should be refused. Residents had been affected by multiple earth tremors, he said, and the company had sufficient time to adhere to the planning conditions and complete restoration.
He described the request for an extension as “a blatant disregard for planning laws”:
“The company was only too well aware of the terms of the original fracking application, including the decommission dates, and is now attempting to pervert the course of proceedings through this application.
“They have had sufficient time to adhere to the planning conditions … and the company’s obligations to restoring this land to open countryside should have been completed in a timely manner.”
He added:
“The people of Fylde have had enough of the threat of fracking.
“There has been a clear breach of, and contempt for, the planning laws. Not only that, the company’s cynical methods are immoral and need to cease.”
There were another 84 objections, including from the local MP Mark Menzies, Preston New Road liaison committee and the campaign organisations Preston New Road Action Group, Roseacre Awareness Group and Friends of the Earth.
These public comments have not been published online. According to the planners’ report, the objections included:
- Lancashire County Council has a poor record by the county council for upholding planning conditions
- Cuadrilla has a history of delaying restoration at its Lancashire sites at Grange Road, Becconsall and Preese Hall
- There are no reuse options for the site or the possibility of restarting fracking
- Cuadrilla should have obtained equipment and permits necessary to restore the site in the required time-frame
- The proposed extension is too long and breaches another condition of the original planning permission.
- The flare stacks remain visible over the site fencing, breaching another condition
- The proposed extension is not in the local interest
- The site is an eyesore and affects property values
- The planned extended flow test of the wells never took place and restoration should have been required after the initial testing phase.
According to the report, Mr Menzies said there were no grounds to grant any extension and Cuadrilla should be held to the terms of the original planning permission.
The report said Friends of the Earth described the requested extension as inconsistent with national and local policy and the decision of the original consent. The organisation is said to have commented that site restoration had been postponed deliberately in the hope that government policy on shale gas would change and allow fracking to resume.
“Sequential process to be followed”
The report concluded:
“The requirement for the site to be restored at the earliest stage possible is acknowledged. However, it is important to understand that there is a sequential process to be followed as shown in the table above. This process will take time to complete.”
It said the environmental permit must be surrendered before restoration work could start and permit surrender could begin only after a period of groundwater monitoring.
According to the report, Cuadrilla was asked whether it could remove the acoustic and security fencing at an earlier stage. The company said this would be inefficient and would raise security concerns. It did, however, say “there is a possibility to remove the flare stack at an earlier stage”, the report said.
The Environment Agency recommended that Lancashire County Council should ensure Cuadrilla could pay for well decommissioning, site restoration and closure. The report said there was “no basis for seeking a restoration bond or other form of guarantee”.
The report recommended 13 conditions include controls on noise, dust and working hours, along with time limits on work, requirements for restoration and aftercare schemes and the removal of plant, buildings, hardstanding and fencing.
In its application, Cuadrilla said it would be “impracticable to deliver a planned plugging, decommissioning and site restoration by April 2023”.
It said the extension represented “sustainable use of an existing site”. It would allow a “reasonable timeframe” for site infrastructure to be removed. It proposed three phases:
- Continued well suspension, wellhead maintenance and data collection
- Decommissioning the wells – work to continue until early 2025
- Site restoration to begin early in 2025
The company did not propose in this application any further drilling or fracking at Preston New Road.
Timing conflict
In his report, Mr Haine said work at Preston New Road officially began on 4 April 2017 and the 75-month period in condition 2 would expire on 4 July 2023.
This appears to contradict the site notice for the application, issued on 1 December 2022, which said the 75 months expired on 5 April 2023. Cuadrilla issued a statement that site construction had begun at Preston New Road on 5 January 2017. Photos show work was underway in January 2017 and the site was being formed by March 2017.
A spokesperson for Preston New Road Action Group said:
“It beggars belief that LCC Planning can get simple facts wrong on such a well documented and controversial site.
“As anyone with an interest in the frack site knows, Cuadrilla started work on it the moment they got the go ahead from the Lancashire County Council Planners.
“In fact Cuadrilla’s announcement that they had started work in January 2017 can still be found on their web site. Clearly Cuadrilla have already breached the condition on site restoration and one wonders if LCC are trying to hide this fact for some reason.
“It is a shame that the eagerness with which Cuadrilla started work on the site is notably absent when it comes to restoring the site. Their much touted desire to be ‘good neighbours’ seems to have evaporated.”
Nick Danby, a spokesperson for Frack Free Lancashire and a local councillor, said:
“Fracking in the UK is finished. The current government has made it plain that there is no prospect of any resumption of fracking and the opposition parties have all made it equally plain that they are opposed to fracking.
“The only party still not recognising the futility of fracking is Cuadrilla. It really is about time that Lancashire County Council made a stand. There are absolutely no grounds for extending the timetable for the restoration of the Preston New Road site and Cuadrilla’s application should be refused. This is yet another ploy by Cuadrilla to avoid their responsibilities and we do not want the cost of clean-up and restoration to fall to the taxpayer.
“The community has had enough of Cuadrilla and their cavalier attitude to the regulatory framework. They should restore the site and get out of town.”
Photo: Frack Free Creators Knitting Nannas of Lancashire
Cuadrilla had planned to begin well decommissioning at Preston New Road in March 2022.
The NSTA had issued an order to plug and abandon both wells at the site by June 2023. But this was replaced a month later with a well suspension notice that allowed both wells to remain suspended until 30 June 2023.
The NSTA will now either agree to:
- A plan to reuse one or both wells
- A plan to bring one or both into production
- Require one or both wells to be plugged and abandoned.
The current application assumes the wells will be abandoned. If NSTA agrees to production or reuse then further planning applications will be needed.
- DrillOrDrop will be reporting from the development control committee meeting on Wednesday 7 June 2023. The meeting begins at 10.30am in Committee Room ‘B’ – The Diamond Jubilee Room, County Hall, Preston. Link to agenda
Since this article was published, Mr Haine has accepted that the start date given in his report is incorrect and will be corrected at the committee meeting. He accepted that planning permission expired in April 2023.
Categories: Regulation, slider
DRILL OR DROP? 
“sustainable use of an existing site”
Well at least Francis has retained his sense of humour.
Gives you more time to motor along and take some pictures of a fence, reaction. Sense of humour is indeed important to maintain.
Indeed it is Fred. You should try having one! At least you seem to have got over your fixation with ladies’ underwear now.
Never found the need to take photos of them reaction. I could have been chucked out of M&S trying to record a Sheepdog bra for my library! Whatever floats your boat. Did you get the £5k best ‘photo prize?
What a very odd fellow you are Fred!
LCC need to refuse this extension and demand restoration begins immediately. Cuadrilla have had since November 2019 to do all their data collecting and monitoring yet the site has shown no activity in all that time. Shares in Cuadrilla’s parent company, AJ Lucas stand at just 1.6 Australian cents today compared with 36 Australian cents 5 years ago yet LCC to say they’re not requesting a financial guarantee that the company will carry out their obligations to restore the site. The site is a limited company. What’s to prevent Cuadrilla just leaving the local tax payers to clear up their mess? They’re just laughing at us.
You mean the same tax payers who spent £millions to pay the police who were required-why? To control the same “protestors” who now protest/speculate about tax payers getting a bill!
Oh indeed, a sense of humour is required.
Poor Fred can’t see the difference between costs incurred facilitating a right to peaceful protest (which is, by the way, what the police insisted they were doing) and the costs that would be incurred if a business that has seen fit to set up multiple limited companies were to renege on it’s obligations to plug and abandon PNR properly by allowing one of them to go bust.
Of course Fred will be very happy that the government has now effectively banned such protests . Don’t be like Fred.
Except according to the evidence given in the Courts, it was not peaceful, was it!?
The peaceful protests are not now effectively banned.
Don’t be like reaction, at least try and maintain some knowledge of history, current legislation-and a sense of humour.
There was no requirement for the £millions to be spent on policing if the protests had been peaceful and had been controlled by those protesting. There was no intention of doing that, just create the situation and the costs for the tax payer to fund.
Obviously you weren’t up to speed with what the local police were claiming at the time as the rationale for their (rather excessive) presence.
Imagine my surprise 😉
Oh but I was up to speed, not exceeding it as is the want of BMW drivers, with the numbers who were carted away, reaction, by the police.
I suppose if a bobby on the beat sees a bank being robbed he/she should just ignore as it was not their “rationale” to be tackling bank robbers that day.
Sorry, I would rather not imagine how your emotions are excited. Never mind, you have your photos to remember when the site is eventually back to field/pig farm/nuclear tip/housing etc.
Clearly you were not.
Why do you think the police were carting away BMW drivers Fred?
And it’s “wont” not “want”.
Suppose what you like but do try to keep on topic. There’s a love.
Nope, reaction. You do not set the topic, much as you would like to. I note your rather tedious and formulaic approach on this platform continues but that is your choice, not mine.
What is the topic? Imagining your surprise? Is that “your” surprise, or John’s? Sorry reaction, I can imagine all sorts of things but to delve into what surprises either of you is not something I would waste my time on.
Thought Cuadrilla had given up on UK as being uneconomic.
While we are discussing the delaying and more time in fracking a potential fracking site, the Leader of the Labour Party is being funded by CEO of one of the largest renewable energy company’s in UK, all to benefit of HIS FAT WALLET! you see Boys and Girls it nothing to do with the Planet climate crisis, it’s funding Stop Oil who put out vulnerable easily- led drones on to the front line in the which to effect hard working citizens and emergency services getting to where they are required to go, to benefit and greed of money!
You wouldn’t donate to something, I tell your sure of a return! And that return is to fund Stop Oil and Urge people to use what you offer!!
Anti Frackers!, Greed is not from Oil company profits, but Renewable Company profits too…
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/dale-vince-labour-just-stop-oil-nick-thomassymonds-ecotricity-b2348900.html
Gobbledegook again Eli
‘You can’t handle the Truth’ John!
You can gobbledegook all you want, green greed and profiteering swings both ways!
Funding Stop Oil does NOT help with the ‘climate emergency’! It just creates renewables billionaires!, shoe on another foot, oh doh!
Oh, I can handle the truth Eli.
People who can’t string a sentence together properly, not so much.
You original post was gobbledgook because it is illiterate, illogical rubbish. Even Fred does better than that (sometimes)
Presumably the landowner gets paid whilst the land is being used? If so, sounds a good way to go toward making up for all the vitriol heaped upon the family over recent years.
About 40k a year, which is the initial rent amount on the lease I saw. I would imagine no “additional initial rent” is payable as neither lateral well produced hydrocarbons for commercial exportation.
I hope he thinks it was worth it.
Why would there be vitriol from the local community Fred?
Why, reaction? Well, I am not medically qualified although looks very much like the classic bully tactic, and I would suspect it was because some were unable to disagree that someone else should be allowed to make their own perfectly legal decisions without resorting to such activity. (Which they did.) For the more educated, with an English A level (lol) to be wafted about, I suspect they can calculate £40k/year for someone allowing a small part of their land to be used is quite worthwhile-much more than locals, even the wealthy with their BMWs, would pay for milk!
Not to worry. Looks like someone has got to grips with the price of diesel now reaction, so you should be able to afford even organic milk now.
But why would they disagree so vehemently that they became vitriolic Fred? Are you saying he made himself into some sort of local pariah? Why?
Your A level seemed to avoid the reading bit, reaction. No, I was not posting that. I was posting that he and his family received disgusting abuse. Fact. Why people supply disgusting abuse is beyond me, perhaps they are just disgusting or maybe they are egged on by others reactions? Whichever, some may call it vitriol, some may call it disgusting abuse, some may then even claim the higher ground with respect to their intelligence and morality-except that doesn’t then compute-and still remains their choice.
One doesn’t turn oneself into a pariah, it is something created by others, who then are often so gutless they refuse to accept responsibility for their actions. The bullies justifying attempting bullying.
Not certain whether you used up all your logic and literacy but it does appear to have evaporated since 9.20am and has become gobbledegook/gobbledygook. Yes, even Fred tries not to be pompous about the English language and then mess it up! I may have gobbled some things, but gook? Not to my knowledge.
“One doesn’t turn oneself into a pariah,”
Except that it appears one does.
Maybe those who decide to do so would like others to believe that is the case. But it isn’t, and just another example of some who can not accept responsibility.
Most farmers I know, and I know a lot, would be developing their own sense of humour with £40k extra/year, and not be that bothered with the activists who attempt to deflect their activities, knowing that with a bit more agricultural land and a few more cows there will be another group of poor delusional souls who will attempt to label them with some abusive tag of their choosing. Such is life-to some.
SHOWING THEIR TRUE COLOURS
Can you imagine if FULL SCALE , toxic Fracking had gone ahead in the UK ?????
You’d of had these type of delaying tactics and a two fingers approach from Fracking companies when restoring decommissioned sites , happening all over the UK .
Just look at the nightmare in the USA .
My opinion would be to get this ” two bit ” company to restore the site ASAP , before they disappear in to the sunset leaving the good old UK tax payer to pick up the tab .
There’s NO reason why they couldn’t show the same enthusiasm restoring this site as they did when they were starting their Fracking project.
The nightmare of them fracking away to supply gas and oil to Europe, Jack?
Shocking? More shocking them not? Either way, they are starting to pull back on numbers of drilling rigs so come this winter who will be shocked? Those in USA hoping their gas prices will not rocket to $7 or those in UK hoping they will not exceed $47?
Meanwhile, Jack thinks the war in Ukraine will end and Europe will welcome Russian gas back with open arms. Sorry Jack, based upon your previous OPINION there is little reason to support your current OPINION.
Please note readers, Jack has simply supplied his/her OPINION which is actually debunked by the previous OPINION supplied.
Meanwhile, Chesapeake Energy has secured it’s contract to supply gas to Europe. That’s what dreams are made of, Jack. Nightmares when they don’t.
MARTIN , or would you prefer to be called PAROT ??????
Thank you for the laughter , your tired , endless off topic Collywaffle is always thoughouly enjoyable , but quite revealing as it shows you have ZERO , yes ZERO ways in which to challenge JACK .
OK , here we go AGAIN
Is that the bankruptChesapeake Energy that was saddled with 9 BILLION of debt just before the start of the Russia – Ukraine War ?????
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/29/chesapeake-energy-fracking-pioneer-files-for-bankruptcy-owing-9bn
OR MAYBE , your referring to the US Fracking industry in general .
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/22/shale-industry-will-be-rocked-by-300-billion-in-losses-and-a-wave-of-bankruptcies-deloitte-says.html
Cutting that Russian Gas has been a fantastic boost for the US shale industry…. BUT it ONLY continues whilst the WAR drags on .
MARTIN ……. LOOK at what some LOW LIFE VERMIN are doing in the UK ….. Now when it comes to ” back handers ” in the UK , pushing the climate change denial agenda , the money involved here is PEANUTS , when you compare it to how the true masters do it in the USA .
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/30/tory-partys-35m-dirty-donations-revealed-by-desmog-analysis
Oh dear, same old delusion.
Well there “we” are. US gas from fracking to be replaced by Russian gas! That may be your agenda Jack, but it ain’t going to happen. It is a delusion, and your reasons for trying to push that agenda are your own-perhaps-but it ain’t going to happen. Just your OPINION backed up by nothing, zilch, phoo phoo dust, wishful thinking etc.etc.
Meanwhile, Chesapeake Energy is one of those according to ermmmm-Jack-who are making a fortune out of supplying Europe. Deloitte who pontificated in 2020 were wrong. Where is their apology for people like Jack to take their incorrect pontification and not correct the record? None from the IMF so I suspect none from Deloitte. The share price of C.E.is going skyward whilst Tesla stagnates. They have invested to do so, and will keep that going whilst Europe creates a demand to be filled. They know LNG is an expensive process but whilst someone else funds it why should they be concerned? They know they can control price by controlling production, which is what they are doing and let their customers refuse to take action themselves to enable them to do exactly that.
Not to worry Jack, just think of all those dishes to be washed when they decide to crank up the drilling again in a few months time. With the deal to raise the debt ceiling I suspect a lot of those renewable jobs have just been suspended/lost for ever in USA.
Dirty MPs in the UK? Well, well, may not be in the Guardian but I note some on the left have leaned a bit into the cesspit also. Welsh rarebit comes to mind. Surprising what is expected of the UK tax payer, isn’t it?
Your avian knowledge is equally suspect Jack. They are PARROTS. I am afraid yours is dead. Much like the pigeons would have been fed on your pigeon feed. Much like Russian gas or oil being piped back into Europe. Just think Dodo, Jack.
Roll on AI.
MARTIN ,
HOW CAN I be delusional ??????
I show you EVIDENCE , do you actually understand what the word EVIDENCE means ???????
Here’s the meaning of the word, as shown in the Collins Dictionary
EVIDENCE……. is anything that you see, experience, read, or are told that causes you to believe that something is true or has really happened.
Now YOU on the other hand ONLY and I repeat ONLY , ever give an OPINION.. You never give JACK or the readers one single shred of evidence….
I think you better take a closer look at yourself as to who’s ” delusional ”
Whenever you churn out that Wild-Off-The-Cuff Collywaffle backed up with the usual ZERO evidence . I will always be there to show you the error of your ways .. NO MATTER how many hundreds of times I have to show you the same indisputable evidence.
Really? Nope you plonked out something from Deloitte from 2020 which was only evidence that they speculated, and were incorrect! Just like the IMF. I suspect both sets of “experts” get paid a lot more than you Jack, to show that they are not that expert when push comes to shove. It should have been evident to even the dimmest that those companies who could weather the storm of 2020 pandemic would reap the reward when the vaccines did their trick, particularly those who would be required to fuel a recovery. Yes, it would be inflationary but that was pointed out by those who should have been listened to, rather than the vested interests who stated “no way”. (Included the Fed. and the BoE, yet more example of experts!)
Bit like most of the rest of your contributions Jack, and that makes it delusional that you believe it hasn’t been noticed, and noted.
As far as your nonsense about Tesla then compare to Chesapeake Energy since 2020! Just more delusion from you Jack. You could correct the delusion and suggest what the IGAS share price might be if they had proceeded successfully with fracking! Shock/horror Jack you admit fortunes are being made in USA. Perhaps IGAS would have transferred some of C.E. “fortune” to UK? Delusional if you think that thread will get you into the anti Hall of Fame, except in the pariah section.
I never give investment advice Jack. Up to grown ups what they do with their money. Some decide to Crowd Fund, some to pay Court fines. I’m okay with that as long as they don’t expect others to pick up the cost of their hobbies. I can’t afford such luxury hobbies whilst I have high energy bills to fund.
“ONE LAST THING MARTIN”.
Promise Jack, or more of the same?
OH DEAR MARTIN ,
There you go again , with your evidence void OPINION .
Here’s the evidence and the facts concerning the American Shale industry.
Over the past decade and a half, the shale industry totaled $300 billion in net negative cash flow, wrote down another $450 billion in invested capital, and saw more than 190 bankruptcies since 2010, according to a new report from Deloitte.
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/US-Shale-Has-Lost-300-Billion-In-15-Years.html
Now you prove JACK wrong .
Don’t forget MARTIN , if you fail to supply any evidence ( LINKS ) , your comments will just be deemed as pure Collywaffle .
MARTIN you have JACK laughing now , REALLY.
Your so bitter against the electric vehicle industry, especially TESLA..
Well MARTIN , shall we for the hundredth time ,take a look at the company TESLA and pitch it against your much loved Fracking wannabe , IGAS ???????.
If you’d of invested $10,000 in TESLA in 2010 ……… It would now be worth $2.9 MILLION
Yes I did say , 2.9 MILLION American dollars 🥂🍾
https://www.benzinga.com/news/23/03/31184131/if-you-invested-10-000-in-microsoft-apple-amazon-and-tesla-when-the-companies-went-public-heres-how
🤣🤣 let’s now look at one of the companies that you champion . Good old UK Fracking wannabe , IGAS 🤣🤣
When you Google ” IGAS share price ” and then look on the Stock Exchange at the top of the page … Then just click on ” MAX “…….. With the share price since 2005 dropping like a BRICK in value and then it being diluted in to oblivion…….. The share price as you can see has DROPPED from 11,543.25 pence (£115.43 ) to 15.80 PENCE
It has dropped an eye watering 99.86% in value ..
Evan a two year old child can see the smart money , £10,000 invested in TESLA back in 2010 would of made you a MULTI MILLIONAIRE by now .
Taking note on your comments , championing the UK Fracking industry, you’d of completely LOST ALL of your £10,000 investment on IGAS.
I don’t think anyone is going to take investment advice from you old chap 🤣
NO MARTIN , WRONG AGAIN
It seems your making a habit of getting things wrong .
Would that be the EXPENSIVE to produce and ship Fracked gas that’s responsible for pushing up the energy cost for UK households ?????
What a difference a WAR makes…… It’s been a “bonanza”for the military industry and the Oil/Gas industry though .
MARTIN , are these American citizens enjoying the fruits of Fracking ???????
I THINK NOT
It’s been a nightmare for ordinary Americans living in toxic Fracking zones .
ONE LAST THING MARTIN ,
If you are going to challenge ANYTHING I say , your going to have to put forward something more than one of your wild Off-The-Cuff OPINIONS.
Failure to supply credible evidence in the form of LINKS , will automatically render what you’ve said as nothing more than PURE COLLYWAFFLE.
Oh Jack, one sided arguments!! Doh 🙈🙉🙊🙄🙄
But still burning that US fracked gas in his home!
ELI-GOTH
What can I say , once again you excell yourself
. Thank you for your very informative , well thought out comment.
Sorry ELI-GOTH , like many others , I can’t afford to burn that expensive American Fracked Gas .
Anyway my Solar Panels are doing just fine at the moment .
“I’m alright, Jack”
Hmm, and no real concern for others. Those who can’t afford solar panels when they can’t afford gas.
Thanks ELI-GOTH for gaining that clarity. Of course that expensive American Fracked Gas could be avoided, as it is expensive as it is LNG, and some were offering to arrange that, whilst others were wanting to prevent that, then denying the consequences of $7 versus $47. Usual activist nonsense, state what they wish for, get what they wish for and then try and remove themselves from the consequences.
Your well thought out comment ELI-GOTH does appear to have got to the heart of the matter.
MARTIN ,
I see your continuing with your well trodden path of offering diddly squat in evidence to support your comments.
US Fracked Gas is expensive to produce and transport to the UK ….. When you also take note that the USA has a FIRM TWO FINGERS approach to health, safety, climate change and the environment when it comes to Shale Gas/Oil exploration , in order to bring down production costs ……. We are still paying through the eyes and nose for this Gas .
Shale Gas in the UK would be many more times expensive to produce , due to waste water regulation costs to name but one extra burden for Fracking companies .
Even with all that extra production costs to try and limit environmental impacts , you would still greatly increase the chances of Cancer in children, early death for the elderly , Asthma , de-value homes , increase climate change , destroy the environment and leave a toxic financial burden for future generations.
Any Gas produced , would be sold on the open market to the highest bidder . Didn’t you know MARTIN , Fracking companies are NOT charities.
MARTIN , I can’t see many plus points for Fracking here in the UK , can you ?????
I’m sorry MARTIN , the world has to move away from Fossil fuels , if we care about our grandchildrens future and the state of the planet we will leave them. .
A cap on what each individual can use , also needs to be put in place . Why should someone be able to charter a Jumbo Jet to carry half a dozen people , just because they have enough paper money to do so ???????
The rampant , uncontrolled growth in population also needs to addressed with some urgency.
You say, quote, ” I’m alright JACK ”
I’m very pleased you are MARTIN.
I bid you a pleasant , healthy , enjoyable weekend and will look forward to debating with you next week .
Jackthelad
ONE LAST THING wasn’t accurate either then Jack!
My goodness, you are really feeding my sense of humour. Now you waffle on about grandchildren but want to address population growth. Ermm, Jack, where will the grandchildren come from?? [Edited by moderator]
Apart from the humour what will be the reality for my grandchildren, when the £trillions have been spent yet climate change has not been controlled. There will be the “experts” (not Jack one would hope) telling our grandchildren, “sorry, but that has not worked, now it is down to your abstinence. Ask Grandpa to explain what sex was all about. Not to be missed, it created many diseases, destroyed relationships, was controlled by the highest bidder——— and house prices dropped”!!!
Jack, you really need to look at the expense of producing LNG. If you use gas local to production there is no need for LNG. Fracked gas is not expensive in USA, unless they divert a lot more to export, and then need to increase production to catch up. Goodness, on this very site there has been debate about all the gas they burn off as it has been seen as a waste product, which they are only now starting to collect. I have even heard they have it on “tap” FOC in houses in USA! Jack, your dishwashing could really be accelerated with a water/gas mixture over the sink!
Would appear processing and transport are another area your search engine is unable to reach, Jack.
MARTIN ,
What you say here’s PURE COLLYWAFFLE 🤣 , quote, ” My goodness, you are really feeding my sense of humour. Now you waffle on about grandchildren but want to address population growth. Ermm, Jack, where will the grandchildren come from?? [Edited by moderator] ”
I’m surprised JACK has to join up the dots for you on this one .
MARTIN , I did not say people should not have children, I just mean’t that it should be limited as to how many children people should have .
When I speak about population growth , it makes perfect sense , even to someone with the intelligence of an earthworm
, that controlling the birth rate of each family makes sound sense for the security , safety and survival of the planet…
With uncontrolled population growth and climate change increasingly causing , floods , droughts, hurricanes and sea levels rising ….. The fall out from this will be suffering and starvation on a biblical scale .. Such problems will also cause endless wars as countries fight each other for dwindling resources..
YES MARTIN , I DO very much care about our children’s/ grandchildrens future.
SADLY MARTIN,
The rest of what you say in your above post , is just your OPINION .
Remember MARTIN , failure to supply evidence to back up your comments , renders what you say as nothing more than wild off-the-cuff Collywaffle.
Interesting news today, that areas in Lancashire are listed amongst the 45 possible locations for deep geothermal energy. Could get interesting if they need to frack to increase connectivity between the two well, given that the industry is allowed seismicity 3,100 times larger and 17,700 stronger, than that permitted in shale gas exploration.
https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/02/network-of-geothermal-power-stations-could-help-level-up-uk
Geothermal would bring more HGVs (bigger rig, deeper hole, more pipe, more consumables), larger footprint / land take, greater visual impact (taller rigs), longer duration on site (deeper drilling, slower ROP), significantly higher seismicity permitted during fracking, increased drill cuttings radioactivity, leached nasties in the flow back water from the granite etc etc.
Happy to test the concept in Lancashire – why not use the PNR wellsite? What’s not to like? Perhaps this is the direction Cuadrilla are heading in?
Looking forward to DOD support.
Reall?
I’m intrigued to know how many HGVs you expect for Geothermal and how it compares to fracking given that so many of the fracking ones are used to ferry water in and flow back out.
Can you explain with sources please?
Reall? Martin may comment on spelling?
DYI John.
The Cornwall geothermal project informs us about all the positives (?) but no negatives. They don’t mention fracking so perhaps they didn’t need to frack. However it appears there were up to 50 induced seismic events. They don’t mention vehicle movements but why not? During the drilling phase the HGVs movements will be large. The longer a well takes to drill the more vehicle trips required. They brought a second rig in for testing which was used for injection testing. With water. Is this the renewables equivalent of fracking? How much water they brought in they do not say, how much they shipped out they also don’t say. How many HGV movements for water / back flow took place at PNR?
The local impact of a geothermal project where the basement is deep will be significant, probably higher than a shallow shale test.
The concept should be tested – if it works we add to our base generating capacity. In the meantime we will continue to import large amounts of fracked shale gas from the US for home consumption. And for the EU until they build more LNG import terminals.
What is interesting is that all the local Lancs antis have suddenly reappeared on DOD.
Paul, one of the latest applications for a geothermal power plant in Cornwall gives the following details on well stimulation and HGV movements.
Hydraulic stimulation duration of approximately 3 months and
production testing duration of approximately 1 month. The total injected volume is assumed to vary between 5000 and 12000 m3. Injection pressure up to 100 barg.
Vehicle movements of tanked water during stimulation and testing- as required.
Site preparation- 100 vehicle movements.
Mobilisation of drill rig- 230 vehicle movements
Fuel delivery for rig- 4 vehicle movements per week, duration 7 months.
Demobilisation of rig- 230 vehicles movements.
Power plant construction- 30 vehicle movements.
Thanks John H. John Refrack will be interested in your numbers.
Paul, I believe that the volume of fluid required for the well stimulation in Cornwall, would be classed as high volume fracking under the Infrastructure Act if used on Shale gas formations and require the intervention and approval of the Secretary of State. I look forward to confirmation or correction from other posters on here.
John the definition as I understand it is
“the injection of more than 1,000 cubic metres of fluid at each stage (or expected stage), or the injection of more than 10,000 cubic metres of fluid in total”
Paul – I am indeed interested as, using data from Cuadrilla and the EU Commission (as used in the IoD Report), I calculated that a pad with 40 x 2.5km lateral wells (as boasted about by Cuadrilla) would require over 150,000 truck movements. Even a 4 well pad would require over 16,000.
Just site preparation for the fracking pad according to Cuadrilla’s plan submitted to LCC would require over 1,000 vehicle movements which is 10 times what John is suggesting are required for a geothermal well.
So what are we to make of your statement “Geothermal would bring more HGVs (bigger rig, deeper hole, more pipe, more consumables” ?
John H’s numbers relate to a single geothermal well I think. Your figures are for 40 shale wells? I suppose the question is how many geothermal wells equate to 40 shale gas wells in equivalent energy produced. I expect geothermal wells, if more than one are drilled, may need to have a lateral displacement. As do HC wells. It is of course possible to drill basement wells directionally from a single pad however this will be time consuming and costly vs drilling vertically from separate pads. But a single geothermal well may produce more energy than 40 shale wells. No doubt someone can calculate this? My comparison was PNR vs the Cornwall geothermal well. I don’t know how many HGV movements there were at PNR but I expect you do?