Not a good day for UK shale .
The bill only passed because the Govt agreed to include all the oppositions amendments .
These include :-
- no drilling in areas of outstanding beauty or national parks
- no drilling in water catchment areas .
- the requirement to monitor ground water methane and other baselines for a full 12 months before drilling
- distance between laterals and surface ?/aquifers? to be increased from 300m to 1,000m .
These changes makes an absolute mockery of the 14th onshore licensing round which they are evaluating applications for at the moment ! Some applicants are bound to cancel now .
The irony is that whilst only 15% of the country is a water catchment area , the basins where the shale is located are typically is overlain by shallower sediments from which water is extracted .
Sorry about the source of the map here but it shows the license areas overlain with water catchment areas and areas of outstanding natural beauty :-
https://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/climate/issues/uk_fracking_map_41274
The Bill goes through more readings before finally becoming law and details will be ironed out and their are rumours that amendments may be relaxed some but as it stands :-
- 90% of Europa's very , very promising shale in the Humber basin will be lost if drilling cannot take place in the outer water catchment area , about 30% if only the inner catchment area
- Dart-Igas lose about 30% of the Gainsborough trough and around 20% of their North West acreage
- Magellan and Celtique lose about 50% of their core Wealden basin acreage
- Cuadrilla get off lightly and only stand to lose about 25% of their Bowland acreage
Don't forget all the scientific evidence to the effect that risk to aquifers is minimal .
Cuadrilla still have plenty of UK shale opportunity .
