Fracking in Lancashire halted as tremors rip through safety limits

THE hunt for shale gas in Lancashire has been brought to a halt after fracking triggered a tremor that ripped through the Government’s safety guidelines.

Fracking firm Cuadrilla was forced to stop work for 18 hours after a miniquake at its site registered 0.8 on the Richter scale. A tremor of this magni- tude would be imperceptible to most but is still well above the 0.5 limit set by the Government.

Quakes higher than 0.5 are considered a “red event” on Cuadrilla’s fracking safety traffic light system, which means frackers must down tools imme- diately. Even seismic quivers below 0.5 magnitude would be considered an “amber” signal and mean the shale fracking process can only continue with caution.

Cuadrilla said that all the relevant regulators were informed of the “micro seismic event” without delay. In line with the rules, it paused work for at least 18 hours but is expected to recommence its fracking this morning.

“It is reassuring that the monitoring and traffic light system is working as it should,” said the company’s spokesman.

However, in future local communities living near fracking sites may have to put up with more powerful earth tremors under Government plans revealed earlier this month.

A letter from energy minister Claire Perry suggested that the “explicitly cautious” system may soon be overhauled to allow stronger quakes measuring between 1.5 and 2 on the Richter scale to ripple through local communities without slowing shale gas drilling. In the letter, see by Greenpeace’s investigative unit Unearthed, Ms Perry said “as we gain experience in applying these measures, the trigger levels can be adjusted upwards without compromising the effectiveness of the controls”. The Conservative Party promised in its election manifesto to support “the safe development of shale gas” in a bid to boost the country’s energy supplies and create more jobs.

Meanwhile, opposition to the controversial extraction process has grown, according to official survey data produced by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

The stance is in stark contrast to the previous coalition government under which Cuadrilla’s first attempts to frack in Lancashire were brought to an immediate halt in 2011 after triggering a minor earthquake in the area.

The moratorium was in place for over 18 months before planning rules were toughened up.