Fracking firm wins drilling approval
24 May 2016
North Yorkshire County Council has approved Third Energy’s request to drill for shale gas near the village of Kirby Misperton.
It is the first time a fracking application has been approved in the UK since 2011.
The council’s planning committee heard submissions from more than 100 speakers before deliberating and accepting Third Energy's application.
This approval, is not as a victory, but is a huge responsibility
Third Energy chief executive Rasik Valand
“This has been a very difficult decision for the council to make and we know it is a difficult decision for the people of this county,” said Richard Flinton, North Yorkshire County Council’s chief executive.
The planning committee said it came to the decision based on the “particulars” of the Kirby Misperton site, which already has a well for conventional drilling.
Flinton added that any future applications would be decided on by their own merits, with Third Energy’s win having “no bearing”.
Third Energy said there would not be any fracking activity on the site in the near future because it has conditions to discharge, which have been set out by the planning authority and the Environmental Agency.
“This approval, is not as a victory, but is a huge responsibility,” said Third Energy chief executive Rasik Valand.
“The purpose of this application is to establish if the gas seen in some samples in this hybrid sandstone shale formation can be made to flow, at what process conditions and for how long. If this flows then we will need to assess how it performs for some months before making any conclusions.
“So now we move on to the next stage of obtaining required approvals,” Valand added.
It is striking that the overwhelming number of speakers giving evidence at the two day hearing were against fracking
Daisy Sands, Greenpeace head of energy campaign
Commenting on North Yorkshire County Council’s decision, energy minister Andrea Leadsom said that fracking is a fantastic opportunity. It’s good for jobs, the economy and strengthens our energy security.
“We already have tough regulation in place to ensure that fracking is safe. We are now looking forward to the safe exploration of shale gas beginning and finding out just how much of this home grown energy supply is available to power our homes and businesses,” Leadsom said.
However, Greenpeace said that given the government’s “pro fracking bias”, there was an air of inevitability about the decision, despite protesting and local opposition.
“It is striking that the overwhelming number of speakers giving evidence at the two day hearing were against fracking and Ryedale Parish Council voted against fracking at its back door but North Yorks Council has overlooked this and the many, many concerns that were raised locally,” said Daisy Sands, Greenpeace head of energy campaign.
“But this isn’t over and people will continue to raise their very valid concerns and keep fighting against fracking because it will industrialise the beautiful Yorkshire countryside and contribute to climate change,” Sands added.
