North Yorkshire County Council has recommended an application to frack a pre-existing shale gas well at Kirby Misperton for approval following a site visit by planning committee members.
Rasik Valand, Chief Executive of well operator Third Energy, said: “We are pleased that the Planning Officer has recommended that North Yorkshire County Council approve our application.
“Within our application, and throughout North Yorkshire County Council’s thorough assessment of it, including various stages of consultation, and through all the additional information provided, we have addressed the wide range of questions, concerns and comments raised by NYCC, statutory consultees and others.
“This work is reflected in the Planning Officer’s Report together with the planning conditions proposed. We believe that this thorough report will enable North Yorkshire County Council to reach a positive determination on our application.
“Third Energy has been drilling wells and producing gas safely and discreetly from this site in Kirby Misperton for over 20 years and we will continue to maintain the same standards in the future.”
Third Energy applied for the fracking licence at its Kirby Misperton well in north Yorkshire in May last year. The well is located in the Bowland shale formation that experts estimate contains the bulk of Britain’s shale gas resources.
Britain is estimated to have enough shale gas trapped below its surface to meet its gas needs for decades.
There is a temporary moratorium on drilling shale gas exploratory wells in Scotland which was imposed by the SNP Govt last year.
See also: –
Sturgeon escalates her opposition to fracking to ‘deeply sceptical’ in SNP’s Holyrood manifesto
The (English) Environment Agency has already issued environmental permits necessary for the proposed hydraulic fracturing of the KM8 well at Kirby Misperton.
The three permits have been issued after extensive review of the company’s plans and arrangements, and following public consultations and extensions to allow for even greater consultations. The permits are:
- Mining Waste Operation, including a Mining Waste Facility
Groundwater Activity Permit
Radioactive Substances Activity Permit
John Dewar, Operations Director, said: “This is another important step towards having the necessary permissions in place to fracture the well and evaluate the potential of the shale resource to produce gas commercially.
“The issuing of these permits demonstrates that the Environment Agency is satisfied that the hydraulic fracturing operation, including frac fluid which is non-hazardous to ground water and the disposal of the flow back water, can be managed without impacting on the local environment.”
Third Energy acquired its onshore assets in North Yorkshire through the purchase of Viking UK Gas Limited and RGS Energy Services in 2011. These assets are 100% owned and operated by Third Energy and include mature producing fields, undeveloped gas discoveries, pipelines and a gas gathering and power generation station, supplying power to the grid.
Over 20 years of operations, all the operations and drilling/well works have been undertaken safely and with no adverse impact to the environment or communities.
Third Energy also operates the Knapton Generating Station. Supplied by gas from four producing gas fields beneath the Vale of Pickering, North Yorks., it is currently the largest generating station in the UK to use onshore-produced gas.
Pixie Energy is an incubator and a facilitator of strategic research and project work, focusing on energy regulation, policy and markets at the local and national level. Find out more about Pixie Energy