Cuadrilla Resources to Step Up Shale Exploration at Grange Hill

Cuadrilla Resources intends to proceed with hydraulic fracturing at its exploration well at Grange Hill. The UK based company said it would apply for consent to drill, hydraulically fracture and test the gas flow at up to six new temporary exploration well sites in the Fylde, while it is postponing its decisions on Anna’s Road site.

According to a note released on Friday, Cuadrilla Resources will also apply for planning consent to drill up to three further vertical exploration wells. The company says that these wells would not be hydraulically fractured. 

“The purpose of all our ongoing exploratory work is to demonstrate that natural gas can be produced from the shale in commercial quantities. By sharing our plans for the exploratory programme, we hope that people will have an understanding of what we plan to do and why,” commented Francis Egan, Cuadrilla’s chief executive. 

Cuadrilla has appointed Arup to carry out Environmental Impact Assessments for each application to drill, fracture and flow-test.

“The precise locations of the new sites and the order in which they might be drilled will be determined over the coming months,” reads the note.

Last week, the British Geological Survey (BGS) doubled its estimate of shale gas resource (gas-in-place) in part of central Britain, stating that the central estimate for the resource is over 1,300 trillion cubic feet (tcf).