The British government has been called upon to withdraw instructions to block the country’s only shale well and lift the ban on hydroponic crushing in order to mitigate the energy crisis exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The government imposed a moratorium on UK shale gas mining in 2019 after two small earthquakes resulted from hydraulic fracturing operations.
Last month, energy company Cuadrilla said the government’s Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) had ordered two horizontal shale wells in Lancashire to be buried and abandoned.
However, conservative legislators are calling for the ban to be lifted to mitigate the serious energy crisis that has continued since last year. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last month, the call has grown, and Britain has promised to phase out Russia’s oil imports by the end of the year.
On March 9, Secretary of Commerce Kwasikwaten said the government “accepted the idea of hydraulic fracturing” and believed that closing the shale well was “not necessarily meaningful.”
However, Francis Egan, CEO of Quadrilla, said on March 14 that well concrete work needs to begin “soon” unless there is official confirmation that the government wants to stop. rice field.
Eagan said he had been in contact with the business department and OGA since last week, but the only “clear and clear response” remains the legal deadline for June 30 to cement both wells. It was a confirmation from OGA.
“It takes a couple of months to complete the work, so we need to get started right away in the field,” he said.
He urged the government to formally withdraw its instructions to close the well.
He also said, “Companies like Quadrilla and other companies are cemented while the government keeps changing their minds and they are very useful.”
“If we are serious about energy security, we should not embody these wells as a very basic first step. Then, unlock the shale gas moratorium and these We need to use wells and additional wells to produce domestic shale gas, “he said.
An official spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
“We do not provide any further updates, but we will do so if there are any changes. The shale gas moratorium will continue to be implemented while we are developing plans to announce this month.”
PA Media contributed to this report.
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