LONDON – Fracking, a controversial technique to extract gas from the ground, was the “highly probable” cause of earth tremors which hit Lancashire’s Fylde coast earlier this year, according to a report published yesterday.
One tremor of magnitude 2.3 on the Richter scale hit the area on April 1st, followed by a second of magnitude 1.4 on May 27th, prompting locals and environmental campaigners to blame the fracking technique being used locally by oil and gas firm Cuadrilla.
Fracking involves extracting gas reserves from underground by a process of hydraulic fracturing of shale rock using high-pressure liquid to release gas – a process environmental groups claim is damaging the environment.
The company commissioned a report by independent experts to investigate any links between the tremors and fracking work at its Preese Hall-1 well in Lancashire.
A summary published by the company said it was probable the fracking caused the tremors.
“The report concludes that it is highly probable that the fracking at Preese Hall-1 well triggered the recorded seismic events,” it said.
“This was due to an unusual combination of factors including the specific geology of the well site, coupled with the pressure exerted by water injection.
“This combination of geological factors was 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.”
The report continued that the probability of a repeat occurrence of a “fracture-induced seismic event” with similar magnitude was “very low”. It proposed steps to reduce the chance of further tremors “exceeding safe limits”.
The report was published at 9am yesterday, hours after protesters stormed the company’s gas exploration site.
Environmental campaign group Frack Off entered the shale gas rig at Banks, near Southport, at about 5.30am. – (PA)