DrillOrDrop’s checklist of what to look out for in 2024 on UK onshore oil and gas. You can also catch up with the headlines from 2023 in our review of the year.
Shale gas sites
- Cuadrilla must plug and abandon its two horizontal shale gas wells at Preston New Road in Lancashire by December 2024, under an order from the North Sea Transition Authority.
- Star Energy must decommission and restore its shale gas site at Springs Road, Misson, in Nottinghamshire, before 1 February 2024, following an instruction from Nottinghamshire County Council.
Fracking
The UK general election must be held by late January 2025 and is expected to be in 2024. We’ll be watching closely for any change in party policies on fracking and onshore shale gas.
The moratorium on fracking in England was part of the Conservative manifesto at the last election in 2019. But Rishi Sunak has previously said he supports onshore fracking with local consent. Labour, the Lib Dems, SNP, Greens and Plaid Cymru oppose onshore fracking.
We’ll also be watching for changes in policy on further oil and gas licensing, both onshore and offshore.
Legal challenges
The outcome of important legal challenges on oil and gas and climate change strategy are expected in 2024.
We’ll be reporting on the outcome of these planning cases:
- Sarah Finch’s Supreme Court challenge against Surrey County Council’s approval of oil production at UKOG’s oil site at Horse Hill. Ms Finch said the approval was unlawful because the council did not take into account the carbon emissions from the use of Horse Hill oil. The council said it needed only to consider the climate impact of the process of production.
- SOS Biscathorpe application to challenge ruling of a planning inspector on onshore oil production in the Lincolnshire Wolds AONB
- Frack Free Balcombe Residents’ Association application to the Court of Appeal against the High Court refusal to overturn permission for a well test at Angus Energy’s oil site at Balcombe in the High Weald AONB in West Sussex.
- Protect Dunsfold and Waverley Borough Council application to the Court of Appeal against the High Court refusal to overturn approval of gas drilling at Dunsfold, near the Surrey Hills AONB.
We’ll also be following these challenges to government policy:
- Friends of the Earth, ClientEarth and the Good Law Project case against the government’s net zero strategy
- A case against the climate change national adaptation programme
- Chris Packham has said he plans to challenge the 2023 changes to policy on phasing out fossil fuel cars and boilers
- Uplift and Greenpeace are bringing a case against new oil and gas licences in the North Sea
- In a separate case, Uplift and Greenpeace are challenging the approval of the development of the Rosebank oil field off Shetland
- Friends of the Earth and South Lakes Action on Climate Change are bringing a case against approval of a new coal mine in Cumbria
Planning applications
We’ll be reporting on the progress of planning applications, including these:
- Egdon Resources application expected early in 2024 for two new production wells at Wressle, North Lincolnshire
- Egdon Resources previously said it intended to submit a revised application for long-term production and a new well direction at North Kelsey in Lincolnshire
- Egdon Resources has also said it intends to expand its Waddock Cross oil site in Dorset and resume production
- Angus Energy has plans for more wells and extra gas storage capacity at Saltfleetby, in Lincolnshire
- UKOG must restore its Broadford Bridge site in West Sussex by March 2024 or apply for a fourth time extension
- Will South Western Energy Limited submit revised plans for an oil site and production well at Athelhampton Road in Puddletown, Dorset?
Investigation
- The Environment Agency is expected to complete its investigation in 2024 and report on the leak from a pipe serving the Wytch Farm oil field in Dorset in March 2023
Drilling and production
- Rathlin Energy has said it plans to drill a horizontal well at West Newton-B in East Yorkshire in the first half of 2024
- UKOG has permission for two new wells at its Horse Hill site in Surrey
- Look out for the impact of a well workover on oil production at Wressle, North Lincolnshire
- Star Energy has permission to develop a new oil site at Glentworth in Lincolnshire and resume oil production at Avington, Hampshire
- Every month, we’ll also report on the official onshore oil and gas production figures
Renewables
We’ll be following renewables schemes run by former and existing fossil fuel companies, including:
- Geothermal pilot project at Third Energy’s KM8 well at Kirby Misperton, North Yorkshire
- Geothermal heat schemes by Star Energy from NHS trusts in Salisbury and Greater Manchester
Companies
We regularly report on company accounts and updates and we’ll also be watching:
- Challenge to directors at Reabold Resources
- _Progress of a farm-in deal at Horse Hill between UKOG and PennPetro
Wishing all DrillOrDrop readers a very happy new year.
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DRILL OR DROP? 
Alaska to NOT be polluted from oil extraction but lithium ion battery fires?
Happy New Year?
MARTIN , April Fools Day is 3 months away.
🤣 Where do you get your inspiration for such fantasy ???????
J.K Rowling better watch out, there’s a new kid on the block
A Very Happy “Frack Free” New Year MARTIN.
Fantasy Jack?
You might do a bit better by being aware what is happening in the world, off the coast of Alaska.
It is known as reality. You could have simply directed your search engine towards lithium ion batteries and Alaska to get the news Jack but rather than learning something you wished to display ignorance. Goodness, Jack, you have stumbled into 2024 with some degree of excitement and very little fig leaf. Must have been a really good party!
What I’m going to watch in 2024 is the UK price of electricity. I want it to be at least as low as our nearest competitor countries so that we can attract businesses and improve the prosperity of British people, allowing us to maintain a civilised standard of living and being able to fund the areas we’ve come to rely on eg health, education, infrastructure etc. Having spent billions on renewables with no perceived price drop, I trust this year will be the year when they finally deliver the promised cheaper energy prices or get relegated to the dustbin of history as a lie promulgated by uncaring activists on our unsuspecting Science Deprived MPs.
No chance Graeme.
It is like watching that new truck that only could roll downhill. There is a reason why with the unreliable renewables the cart was offered before the horse. Everyone knew the horse(s) were required but were frightened to admit it as they (new nuclear) were so expensive, so don’t admit it until after the policy was signed into law, without any costings. I have no problem with new nuclear but it will be expensive and the electricity generated will be expensive. The “someone else will pay” now being suggested just shows how divorced many are with what the implications are for UK industry and UK manufacturing. Then to be added to with “everyone else will follow the UK good example”
The reality is that companies like Ineos have already started up LNG supply businesses by starting operations-in USA. Not only to secure cheaper energy for themselves globally but to make money by supplying other businesses outside USA. Paying the tax generated-in USA. Most know LNG is not cheap, but obviously cheaper than the alternatives. Then the next attempt at delusion? Oh yes, there is a global gas market with $7 being the same as $47!
An exercise in delusion, and there will be plenty of politicians yet to enter the exercise. However, they will all face the problem is that a European country like UK can not generate enough taxation to pay for public services AND pay subsidies to keep businesses in UK. Whether left or right, neither can change that equation but there will be a lot of merriment from over the horizon observing them claiming they can. Not for them to worry, after they have been kicked out the industry created will mop them up to wander the world advising others they were kicked out by those who should have known better and rinsing and repeating the arguments that got them kicked out in the first place. Or, they will be in the House of Lords.
Meanwhile, companies who get caught in the middle, if they stay, will do the thing they have always done-cut their workforce. Such is life for the grandchildren being sold this tale, and with £6k/year drained from every household until 2050 no inheritance left to ease the pain. Such is life? Oh, I forgot, “the alternative is so much worse”, yet oddly just about every war in history was started with the same suggestion.
It has come to light that half of our Conservative backbench MPs are funded by Billionaire Eco Zealots. That perhaps explains why Net Zero policies are being implemented which are not in the interest of the British people. They’re essentially Green Party activists masquerading as Tories. Our government has been infiltrated by bought and paid for activists.
https://dailysceptic.org/2024/01/03/green-billionaires-fund-large-backbench-tory-net-zero-parliamentary-caucus/
A big gravy train, Graeme. It would be a first if politicians missed out. I have seen the same with scientists-good scientists-forced to amend their grant applications for research funding to obtain the money by including some contrived climate change connection. Usually successful. I do wonder if other research has been starved as a result, but it seems such is life today.
Going back to the politicians, if one watches them debating the subject it has become like the Emergency Question debate about some far off distant conflict. An exercise for more self righteous virtue signaling than the person who just spoke before, without any workable plan or serious influence to resolve the issue.
Did I somehow miss the debates in Westminster and/or referendum to sign into law the multi TRILLION £ costs of Net Zero to the British public? Remember them, who were told they were taking back control? Still only a few who know the vested interest group indicate it will only be a few £trillion and no more who know the non vested interest group indicate it will be double that. Can produce a lot of gravy trains for multi trillions of £s, so what politician can ignore that?