The message that fracking is OVER in the UK has been loud and strong
this week but still the company currently suspended from fracking in
Lancashire ( Cuadrilla Resources)
are claiming they will 'proceed with works' at the site ('works' being
flow-testing, tanking out liquids from site, mopping up the flooding etc
- but NOT fracking). As their license expires next month and no
application has yet been made to extend, it is clear that NO FRACKING
will be taking place at the Preston New Road Site this year or any time soon as they'd need to reapply and that takes time.
Can the industry survive yet more set-backs after 8 years of trying and FAILING to get a drop of gas to market? Cuadrilla's UK fracking operations have brought NO income... just huge costs and a share price in the toilet and then there's the communities that make up the anti-fracking movement - they will not give up until the industry does (8 years of camps, protests, petitions, legal challenges etc makes this clear)... my estimation is that they are either hanging in for a vicious and controlling government to get elected and trash any semblence of democracy (a bit like what we have but more power/mandate) - OR - they know they're done, they know the government White Paper (due soon) will NOT include fracked gas in the plans for future energy and on top of this... they know the damage they've already done will be revealed once the Oil & Gas Authority complete their investigation and a moratorium or ban is coming and they're simply trying to string investors along?
Whatever it is - it's not fracking now, it's not making money, it's not progress and it's not settled yet... staying vigilant has always been the essential thing in this movement... but a little 'yippee!' is definately called for.
This from the article in Country Life:
[The political landscape certainly appears to have changed. The focus on climate change has sharpened and so has demand for a switch from fossil fuels, within which shale-gas extraction squarely falls, to cleaner sources. As a result, the upcoming energy white paper looks set to favour renewables such as wind and solar power over fracking. CPRE The countryside charity says:
‘CPRE is delighted to see Cuadrilla packing up and moving out of their fracking site at Preston New Road,’ says deputy CEO, Tom Fyans.
‘Our countryside is a valuable asset for our own health and well-being, and to address the climate emergency. Ending fracking is absolutely essential as it is incompatible with the UK’s climate change commitments. The UK must speed up its transition to renewable energies, and bring in steadfast policies to ensure a sustainable transition to zero carbon agriculture, restore our peatlands and essential soils, and, improve the energy efficiency of both new and existing homes.’]
Other positive articles this week alone:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cuadrilla-packs-up-in-preston-and-uk-fracking-bites-dust-82gl7tt9k
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/business/fracking-hell-is-it-the-end-kmb3ntd08
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/13/dont-frack-with-us-the-vivtorious-nanas-of-lancashire-activism
AND... the one where Cuadrilla claim all is well :)
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/14/cuadrilla-says-it-is-not-planning-to-abandon-fracking-in-lancashire
ps:
Just remembered another thing thanks to Joan Williams... Cuadrilla is also on the market and certainly needs to pretend everything's just fine! https://www.cityam.com/cuadrilla-owners-look-for-exit/
Can the industry survive yet more set-backs after 8 years of trying and FAILING to get a drop of gas to market? Cuadrilla's UK fracking operations have brought NO income... just huge costs and a share price in the toilet and then there's the communities that make up the anti-fracking movement - they will not give up until the industry does (8 years of camps, protests, petitions, legal challenges etc makes this clear)... my estimation is that they are either hanging in for a vicious and controlling government to get elected and trash any semblence of democracy (a bit like what we have but more power/mandate) - OR - they know they're done, they know the government White Paper (due soon) will NOT include fracked gas in the plans for future energy and on top of this... they know the damage they've already done will be revealed once the Oil & Gas Authority complete their investigation and a moratorium or ban is coming and they're simply trying to string investors along?
Whatever it is - it's not fracking now, it's not making money, it's not progress and it's not settled yet... staying vigilant has always been the essential thing in this movement... but a little 'yippee!' is definately called for.
This from the article in Country Life:
[The political landscape certainly appears to have changed. The focus on climate change has sharpened and so has demand for a switch from fossil fuels, within which shale-gas extraction squarely falls, to cleaner sources. As a result, the upcoming energy white paper looks set to favour renewables such as wind and solar power over fracking. CPRE The countryside charity says:
‘CPRE is delighted to see Cuadrilla packing up and moving out of their fracking site at Preston New Road,’ says deputy CEO, Tom Fyans.
‘Our countryside is a valuable asset for our own health and well-being, and to address the climate emergency. Ending fracking is absolutely essential as it is incompatible with the UK’s climate change commitments. The UK must speed up its transition to renewable energies, and bring in steadfast policies to ensure a sustainable transition to zero carbon agriculture, restore our peatlands and essential soils, and, improve the energy efficiency of both new and existing homes.’]
Other positive articles this week alone:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cuadrilla-packs-up-in-preston-and-uk-fracking-bites-dust-82gl7tt9k
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/business/fracking-hell-is-it-the-end-kmb3ntd08
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/13/dont-frack-with-us-the-vivtorious-nanas-of-lancashire-activism
AND... the one where Cuadrilla claim all is well :)
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/14/cuadrilla-says-it-is-not-planning-to-abandon-fracking-in-lancashire
ps:
Just remembered another thing thanks to Joan Williams... Cuadrilla is also on the market and certainly needs to pretend everything's just fine! https://www.cityam.com/cuadrilla-owners-look-for-exit/
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