The UK Government is threatening to call a halt to controversial gas drilling after independent geology reports confirmed a series of earthquakes was linked to shale gas extraction.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has warned gas company Cuadrilla Resources to follow the report recommendations, published today, which connected fracking to two earth tremors that shook the Lancashire coastline earlier this year.
Geologists reported the epicentre of one 1.5 magnitude quake on May 27 was within 500 yards of the well of the fracking operation and the second 2.3 tremor on April 1 originated less than two miles away.
The process of fracking has attracted much criticism for its drilling technique, which involves the pumping of high volumes of water and sand into bore holes to split bedrock so gas can be captured.
Today's report “The Geo-mechanical Study of Bowland Shale Seismicity” confirms that there is little risk of future seismic events reoccurring in the Bowland Basin but proposes a series of mitigation measures in case of any future seismic activity.
This report was released after Cuadrilla was ordered to be fully open with the community about all the report findings.
Cuadrilla says it intends to seek a peer review of the report and commits to publishing that review.
The report concludes:
* It is highly probable that the hydraulic fracturing of Cuadrilla’s Preese Hall-1 well did trigger a number of minor seismic events.
* None of the events recorded, including one in April of 2.3 and one in May of 1.5 on the Richter scale, had any structural impact on the surface above.
* The seismic events were due to an unusual combination of geology at the well site coupled with the pressure exerted by water injection as part of operations.
* This combination of geological factors was extremely rare and would be unlikely to occur together again at future well sites.
* If these factors were to combine again in the future local geology limits seismic events to around magnitude 3 on the Richter scale as a “worst-case scenario”.
* Cuadrilla’s water injection operations take place very far below the earth’s surface which significantly reduces the likelihood of a seismic event of less than 3 on the Richter scale having any impact at all on the surface.
Using the findings, the report sets out an early detection system which Cuadrilla can use to monitor seismic activity and implement a series of steps to prevent the escalation of any future seismicity.
Very similar systems are in place in the Netherlands and Germany. The purpose of this system is to ensure that any seismic activity trigged by the hydraulic fracturing process, however unlikely, can be managed to prevent any impact to people and property.
Mark Miller, chief executive of Cuadrilla Resources, said: “We unequivocally accept the findings of this independent report and are pleased that the report concludes that there is no threat to people or property in the local area from our operations.
“We are ready to put in place the early detection system that has been proposed in the report so that we can provide additional confidence and security to the local community.
“Cuadrilla is working with the relevant local and national authorities to implement the report’s recommendations so we may safely resume our operations.”
The report has been submitted to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the British Geological Survey (BGS), the latter acting in their capacity as advisers to DECC. The report’s authors and Cuadrilla are in regular contact with government officials to provide further clarification on various technical aspects of the report.
Campaign group WWF said that, alongside concerns over ground and surface water contamination attributed to shale gas drilling, as well as greenhouse gas emissions associated with its extraction, the findings added to anxiety over shale gas extraction.
The WWF is calling for a moratorium on shale gas extraction in the UK until the potential environmental risks around shale gas drilling have been properly researched and the right regulations have been put in place.
WWF also reiterated its concerns that a new ‘dash for gas’ would take the world towards dangerous levels of climate change, increasing temperatures by at least 3.5°C according to a recent report by the International Energy Agency.
Nick Molho, head of energy policy at WWF-UK, said: “These findings are worrying, and are likely to add to the very real concerns that people have about fracking and shale gas. More to the point though, we’re extremely concerned by the way in which shale gas is being painted as a ‘wonder gas’ which will slash energy bills in Britain and help tackle climate change.
“Shale gas is still a fossil fuel, and a new dash for gas could see global temperatures skyrocket. There’s also no evidence that it will have a big impact on energy bills, which have in fact been driven up in recent years by a rising gas price.
“Our research shows that renewables are the best way of reducing our disproportionate vulnerability to the gas price and tackling climate change in the long term; the Government has to listen and resist the siren calls of the fossil fuel industry.“
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