Campaigners urge MPs to block government changes to fracking conditions
Friends of the Earth is accusing the government of a “dirty water u-turn” over fracking conditions.
Who drilled where in 2014?
Operators started drilling (spudded) 19 onshore oil and gas wells in 2014, four more than in 2013, but 10 down on 2011. Click here for 2013 figures and charts. Based on information from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), 10 of the 2014 spudded wells were […]
£2bn of gas and oil at Horley – but no fracking, says Lenigas
The Australian businessman behind the company drilling an exploratory well at Horse Hill, near Horley, says the site could yield 80 million barrels of oil and 160 billion cubic feet of gas, worth £2 billion. Speaking on BBC Radio Surrey this morning, David Lenigas, of Horse Hill Developments […]
Decision date set for Celtique Energie’s drilling application for Fernhurst
22nd August 2014 The South Downs National Park Authority announced today it will discuss the planning application by Celtique Energie to drill an exploratory oil well at Fernhurst on Thursday September 11th.
33,000 shale gas wells in Lancashire, professor estimates
4th March 2014 Shale UK conference report 1 To recover 15 per cent of shale gas from the Upper Bowland Basin in Lancashire would need 33,000 wells on 5,500 pads, an industry conference heard today. The estimate by Andy Aplin, Professor of Unconventional Petroleum Development at Durham University, […]
Drilling opposition in Sussex: legal challenge at Fernhurst and objections at Balcombe
3/2/14 Greenpeace reported today that a group of Sussex residents have formed the first legal blockade to stop a drilling site. The charity says solicitors acting on behalf of the residents have written to the Energy Secretary, Ed Davey, and the exploration company, Celtique Energie, to say they […]
Losing the fight against fracking is not an option, campaigners told
Anti-fracking groups from across the UK, gathering in Balcombe this afternoon (19/1/14), were told they had to win the battle against shale gas. The Green MEP and French farmer, Jose Bove, told a rally outside Cuadrilla’s oil exploration site in the village: “Losing is not an option. For the […]
Balcombe residents urge Cameron to block UK fracking
Members of the Frack-free Balcombe Residents Association delivered a letter to Downing Street (20/12/13), urging David Cameron to reconsider the government’s policy on fracking for shale gas. The letter, signed by the association’s chairman, Charles Metcalfe, calls for a an immediate and binding UK-wide moratorium on shale gas, coal […]
Mortgage uncertainty in fracking areas, despite government assurances
There’s continuing uncertainty about the future impact of unconventional oil and gas sites on house prices and mortgage lending. Last week, Henry Smith, MP for Crawley, raised the issue in parliament after Santander withdrew a mortgage offer to one of his constituents on a house six miles from […]
Southern Water will cut water price for frackers
Bloomberg reports that Britain’s water companies plan to discount the cost of water to fracking companies. Southern Water says its rate for the biggest customers is 25% less than for homes and this would apply to shale drillers, though none have applied. United Utilities will also offer lower […]
DRILL OR DROP? 