Engineering news
A raft of seismic safety measures should be put in place before fracking for shale gas continues in Lancashire, an independent report from the Department of Energy and Climate Change has said.
Fracking at Cuadrilla Resources' Preese Hall site was suspended after a series of earthquakes occurred near Blackpool in April and May last year. An investigation concluded last November that the controversial gas extraction technique was the highly probably cause of the tremors.
David MacKay, chief scientific adviser to the energy department, said: “If shale gas is to be part of the UK’s energy mix we need to have a good understanding of its potential environmental impacts and what can be done to mitigate those impacts.”
The report recommends that fracking operations should include a smaller pre-injection and monitoring stage. Once fracturing has begun, a monitoring system should be put in place that can provide near realtime locations and magnitudes of any seismic events.
A “traffic light” control regime should also be put in place, where fracking is stopped and remedial action taken if there is any seismic activity above a magnitude of 0.5 on the Richter scale. Unusual seismic activity, even at lower levels, should be carefully assessed, according to the report.
Any future shale gas operations should be assessed for seismic risk before work begins.
An invitation for the public to comment on the recommendations is open for the next six weeks. The comments will be considered before a final verdict is reached on whether the company can continue operations.
The recommendations come after experts from Keele University and the British Geological Survey reviewed a series of studies commissioned by Cuadrilla.
MacKay said: “This comprehensive independent expert review of Cuadrilla’s evidence suggests a set of robust measures to make sure future seismic risks are minimised – not just at this location but at any other potential sites across the UK.”
Mark Miller, chief executive of Cuadrilla, said: “We are pleased to hear that the experts have come to a clear conclusion that it is safe to allow us to resume hydraulic fracturing.” He added that the company has already started to implement some of the experts' recommendations.
Dr Tim Fox, head of energy and environment at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, welcomed the recommendations. He said: “UK and European environmental regulations are already some of the most stringent in the world. These proposed precautions are a good example of how to help mitigate the risk of any damage caused by seismic activity as a result of shale gas activity.”
Fox added: “The control regime whereby work is stopped as soon as seismic activity levels rise above 0.5 on the Richter scale is particularly welcome.”