A British energy firm is pushing ahead with test drilling in Greater Manchester, paving the way for fracking. Residents and activists have gathered to try and block the action that they say threatens their communities and “backs them into a corner.”
Energy firm IGas has confirmed it will carry out drilling tests
across the North West of England in search of large shale gas and
oil deposits. The British Geological Survey estimates that the
region may hold up to 1,300 trillion cubic feet of shale gas
which could meet the UK’s energy demands for the next six years.
Fracking accesses hidden stores of gas by pumping water and
chemicals at high pressure thousands of meters under the Earth’s
surface, effectively forcing gas out of the rock. Environmental
groups maintain the process can cause small earthquakes, water
contamination and pollution.
anti fracking protestor being arrested at Barton Moss Manchester #capitalreportshttp://t.co/JpciwZiMFV
— Claire Hannah (@Claire_journo) November 27, 2013
Residents of Greater Manchester are dead set against the
exploitation of the natural resources in the area and have
resolved to fight IGas. Last week saw campaigners and residents
block roads in Salford, Greater Manchester, trying to stop IGas
trucks from delivering more equipment to their test rigs. Police
arrested four people in connection with the protests.
“We will oppose every single one of these test wells – this
is the industrialization of our region’s countryside and we will
not let it happen,” Rachel Thompson, from Frack Free Greater
Manchester, told Manchester Evening News.
IGas maintains that it has “no plans” for fracking, but
Thompson argues that IGas has not made this investment for
nothing.
“IGas may say they do not have permission yet for fracking,
but what is the point of spending all this money drilling into
the shale then not fracking?”
If significant deposits of shale gas are found in the area IGas
will have to file for additional planning permission to carry out
widespread drilling. In addition, they will also be required to
apply for environmental reports and organize community
consultations to assess the overall impact of fracking in Greater
Manchester.
“We do have plans to develop other [test wells] in Greater
Manchester over the coming year,” IGas chief executive
Andrew Austin told Manchester Evening News.
“There is no background of fracking affecting house prices or
subsidence. There is also no history of aquifers being polluted
and the well is protected by steel and concrete barriers,”
said Austin.
‘Earthquakes related to injection wells’
The United Nations Environment Program has said that “fracking
may result in unavoidable environmental impacts, even if
[unconventional gas] is extracted properly.” Over the last three
weeks 16 earthquakes have been recorded in Texas and there has
been widespread speculation that exploitation of shale gas in the
region was to blame.
"I'd say it certainly looks very possible that the
earthquakes are related to injection wells," said Cliff
Frolich, earthquake researcher at the University of Texas, in an
interview with KHOU television.
“When they frack, they inject all that water and chemicals
into the ground, then they pump it back up and separate the gas
from the water, then they have to dispose of that water 13,000
feet down,”Keith Krayer, a local resident who felt the effects
of the quake, told RT.
Moreover, the British Geological Survey recorded two minor
quakes, measuring 2.3 and 1.5 on the Richter scale, in Blackpool
on April 1 and May 27 of 2011. A UK government survey following
the quakes revealed they had been triggered by “hydraulic
fracture treatments” carried out by fracking company
Cuadrilla.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron has championed fracking as the
answer the Briton’s rocketing energy prices. Cameron has appealed
to the UK public to “get behind” fracking because it will create
thousands of jobs and reduce energy prices.
Love this from #Manchester ...the 'Force from the North' is ready to get active ;) #tentsready#fracking#lancashirepic.twitter.com/eeUQzMuatO
— Tina Louise ☮ (@tinalouiseUK) October 20, 2013