Last fall an energy company began a hydraulic fracturing operation in northwest England that it hoped would be a milestone in creating a new, domestic source of natural gas for Britain — in much the same way that fracking has taken hold in the United States. Three months later, after regularly causing earthquakes, the fracking has stopped, and the company has begun pulling some equipment from the site. The company, Cuadrilla Resources, says it will continue to work in the cow pasture near Blackpool in Lancashire, seeking to extract natural gas economically and safely from the shale rocks. But so far, its results have failed to win over skeptics.
New York Times 21st Jan 2019 read more »
Limits on seismic activity at fracking sites in the UK should be reviewed and increased, according to scientists involved in monitoring the activity. At present, if fracking induces quakes above 0.5 magnitude then all drilling must cease for 18 hours. Now, researchers from the British Geological Survey (BGS) say these “traffic light” regulations should be reviewed. They argue that increasing the limit to magnitude 1.5 would pose little risk.
BBC 22nd Jan 2019 read more »
Times 23rd Jan 2019 read more »
Independent 23rd Jan 2019 read more »
The UK leads the European Union in giving subsidies to fossil fuels, according to a report from the European commission. It found €12bn (£10.5bn) a year in support for fossil fuels in the UK, significantly more than the €8.3bn spent on renewable energy. The commission report warned that the total subsidies for coal, oil and gas across the EU remained at the same level as 2008. This is despite both the EU and G20 having long pledged to phase out the subsidies, which hamper the rapid transition to clean energy needed to fight climate change. Germany provided the biggest energy subsidies, with €27bn for renewable energy, almost three times the €9.5 bn given to fossil fuels. Spain and Italy also gave more subsidies to renewable energy than fossil fuels. But along with the UK, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and Ireland all gave more to fossil fuels. The report is based on 2016 Eurostat data, the latest available, and found that across the EU renewable energy received 45% of subsidies and fossil fuels 33%.
Guardian 23rd Jan 2019 read more »
Peterhead Port has been named as the ideal UK-wide hub to facilitate a carbon capture and storage (CCS) boom in the north of Scotland, a new study has revealed.
Energy Voice 23rd Jan 2019 read more »
