Fracking firm condemns ‘bad decision’ by council to oppose exploration plans

A COMPANY which wants to conduct fracking exploration work on the outskirts of Sheffield has said councillors who voted to oppose it this week have made a “bad decision”.

Derbyshire County Council’s planning committee voted nine to one on Monday to oppose petrochemical giant Ineos’s plans to conduct exploration work in the village of Marsh Lane, a process which could eventually lead to fracking.

The decision was only advisory as Ineos had already won government permission for a planning inspector to conduct a public inquiry this summer into the application, on the grounds the council was taking too long to make a ruling.

Ron Coyle, chief executive officer of Ineos Shale, said: “This is a bad decision because I believe development of a shale gas industry will lead to an economic renaissance, similar to the one seen in the USA, with high-paying, highly skilled jobs and massive investment in manufacturing, which is desperately needed in this country.

“We had hoped that the council’s final vote would reflect these realities but instead the decision exposes the council and council taxpayers to costly appeal proceedings – all because the decision has been led by politics and not science and has confused a request to drill a simple core bore well with other activities that may or may not happen in the future.

“It is also worth noting that Ineos Shale made this application to gather scientific data as part of its commitment to the Oil & Gas Authority to develop its licence areas.”

Fracking is a method of unconventional gas extraction whereby water and chemicals are injected at high pressure into shale rock deep underground. Opponents, however, allege that the technology is inherently unsafe and causes pollution, traffic, noise and ecological damage.

Ineos is one of seven companies granted Government licences for shale gas exploration work in Yorkshire.