IGas UK Shale Drilling May Start Early 2017

A legal agreement required before IGas can drill its first UK shale gas exploration well is expected to be finalised by the end of January 2017.

Nottinghamshire County Council’s planning committee approved plans by IGas on November 15 to drill the county's first shale gas exploration wells in Bassetlaw. Although IGas is operator, Total has the largest interest in the licence. No hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is included under this approval. 

The council said this week that the legal agreement required for final planning consent – namely the completion of a Section 106 legal agreement, which requires a designated route for all heavy vehicles serving the site – should be ready by the end of next month, rather than January 5 as it first expected.

IGas has existing conventional oil production in the East Midlands at Gainsborough, Lincolnshire -- not far from the planned shale drilling sites (Photo credit: IGas)

A separate application by IGas subsidiary Dart Energy to drill for shale gas between Barnby Moor and Blyth is likely to be heard by the same county’s planning committee early in 2017; to date the county has not received any planning applications involving fracking.

Mark Smedley