Will the prospect of fracking return to West Sussex as a response to energy crisis?
Our county must makes its opposition clear and focus on the work already underway to move into a greener future
The spectre of fracking coming to West Sussex was thought to have vanished but could rear its ugly head in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
UK energy bills are due to skyrocket in April with households expected to pay on average around £700 extra a year.
And the situation is expected to become even worse later on in 2022.
The government has announced a one-off council tax discount in England for properties in the A-D bands, as well as a £200 rebate on energy bills later this year which will have to be repaid over five years.
There are also several schemes to help those most in need, but many households will still struggle to find the extra money.
Russia, which launched an invasion of neighbour Ukraine earlier this month, is the world’s largest exporter of natural gas.
And while the UK receives little of its gas directly from Russia, there are fears that if President Vladimir Putin were to reduce supplies to Europe, this would increase wholesale prices globally.
All this has led to the resurrection of arguments to allow fracking in the UK.
Back in November 2019, on the eve of the general election, the Conservative government announced an effective moratorium on fracking in England based on a report about the link between extraction operations and earthquakes.
While noting the process happens in other parts of the world, the government said that exploratory work to determine whether shale could be a new domestic energy source ‘delivering benefits for our economy and energy security has now been paused – unless and until further evidence is provided that it can be carried out safely here’.
Hydraulic fracturing, commonly called fracking, is the process by which shale gas and oil is released from deep underground. Water and chemicals are pumped quickly through rocks to release fossil fuels trapped beneath.
Lying on the Weald Basin, West Sussex was at the forefront of the campaign against fracking.
Although exploratory drilling has taken place at Balcombe in Mid Sussex and near Billingshurst in the Horsham district, the companies stated these were for conventional energy deposits and not for shale oil or gas.
Work has ground to a halt at the Broadford Bridge site near Billingshurst until the evaluation of the Horse Hill site near Horley is completed.
Meanwhile, Angus Energy’s most recent application to continue oil testing at Balcombe was rejected by West Sussex County Council in March 2021, although it is appealing against this decision.
Other applications for sites near Fernhurst and between Wisborough and Kirdford were both rejected by the county council.
In light of the cost of living crisis and the rise in energy bills, there are some who are asking the government to ‘look again’ at fracking.
Just last week, Kwasi Kwarteng, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, said in the Commons: “We have always had an open mind, and we have always said, and I will repeat it, that we will support shale gas exploration if it can be done in a safe and sustainable way. We will be led by the science on whether this is indeed possible, so there are lots of experiments and empirical evidence that we need to consider.”
He also described how the Prime Minister had confirmed the government will be setting out a strategy for greater energy security, including renewable and nuclear power.
West Sussex is a beautiful county blessed with stunning landscapes and lush countryside, but is severely lacking in adequate infrastructure.
Even if fracking was allowed in the UK, this is not the place for it.
If a policy to encourage onshore fracking is resurrected, West Sussex must make its opposition clear in no uncertain terms.
In any event, a 2014 report from the British Geological Survey indicated there is unlikely to be shale gas potential in West Sussex and also noted that only limited amounts of shale in the area have the potential to produce oil in commercial quantities.
And we are already doing our bit to transition to a greener future.
There are large solar farms in Westhampnett and Tangmere near Chichester, a battery storage project is being delivered by the county council at Sompting and there is already the Rampion Windfarm off the coast, with plans in the pipeline to extend it further west.
Crawley Borough Council is developing a district heat network as part of its redevelopment of the town hall, while Worthing Borough Council is also seeking to create a heat network linking key public sector buildings.
There are also plans for a Sussex Bay marine park along the entire county coast, east and west, to protect vital marine life, restore estuary habitat and even create a destination for eco tourism.
Investment in a kelp forest could provide a way to capture the carbon emissions of thousands of homes.
Shoreham Port also wants to house a green hydrogen hub.
These are just a few of the ongoing projects and while they are a good start, there is always more we can do to ensure West Sussex has a bright, green future, and not a dirty, polluting one.