A company that wants to delay restoration of an oil well to explore using geothermal heat for tea growing has been accused of “clutching at tea leaves”.

UK Oil & Gas plc (UKOG) is seeking to extend the life of the Broadford Bridge site, near Billinghurst, in West Sussex, for a fifth time.

It said it wants two more years to explore the potential for generating geothermal heat for commercial agriculture, including tea growing.

The application has been opposed by the Broadford Bridge Action Group, which regularly gathered outside the site to drink tea and eat cake in protest at UKOG’s operations.

A spokesperson for the group said today:

“This company is clutching at tea leaves to try to avoid coughing up the money needed to restore this site as per their original licence.

“It’s ironic that UKOG objected to environmental campaigners having tea and cake mornings outside their gates to raise awareness of the risk of onshore energy production and are now claiming our need for a cuppa should allow them to delay their work on site further.

“Let’s hope WSCC councillors don’t buy it.”

A spokesperson for the Weald Action Group, a network of campaign groups in southern England, said:

“This appears to be yet another attempt by this small company UKOG to delay spending the money needed to plug and restore the well at Broadford Bridge as required by their initial exploration licence. Their last extension expires on March 31st.

“West Sussex County Council should not let UKOG avoid their responsibilities again and risk the cost falling on the taxpayer or landowners should UKOG have financial difficulties down the line. They need to focus on their promises to restore the environment around sites.

“Any potential for geothermal energy needs to be assessed separately across our area.”

No work has been carried out at Broadford Bridge since March 2018. The well pad would remain suspended if UKOG’s application were successful.

UKOG said the future of Broadford Bridge as a hydrocarbon site depends on data from oil wells at Horse Hill and a potential gas site at Loxley near Dunsfold. Both sites are the subject of legal challenges.

A public consultation on UKOG’s proposals is underway and runs until Thursday 25 January. The application is online at: https://westsussex.planning-register.co.uk/Planning/Display/WSCC/046/23

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