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Hydraulic fracturing in the United Kingdom



Hydraulic fracturing in the United Kingdom started in the late 1970s with fracturing of the conventional oil and gas fields of the North Sea. It has been used in about 200 British onshore oil and gas wells since the early 1980s. The technique did not attract interest from the public until licences use were awarded for onshore shale gas exploration in 2008. Although hydraulic fracturing is often used synonymously to refer to shale gas and other unconventional oil and gas sources, it is not always correct to associate it with unconventional gas.

In the United Kingdom, as in other countries—and in particular the United States, where the industry is most advanced and widespread, hydraulic fracturing has generated a large amount of controversy.

In January 2014, the European Commission issued a set of recommendations on the minimum principles for the exploration and production of hydrocarbons from shale formations using high-volume hydraulic fracturing. It stresses 'the need to diversify Europe’s energy supply and develop indigenous energy resources to ensure the security of supply, reduce the Union’s external energy dependency and stimulate economic growth' and 'noted the significant potential benefits of producing shale gas and oil'. It also noted 'that harmonised provisions for the protection of human health and the environment (should) apply across all Member States'

In late May 2011, the first UK exploration for shale gas using high-volume hydraulic fracturing was suspended at Preese Hall in Lancashire after the process triggered two minor earthquakes. The larger of the earthquakes caused minor deformation of the wellbore and was strong enough to be felt. The report of 2012 by the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering concluded that earthquake risk was minimal, and recommended the process be given nationwide clearance, although it highlighted certain concerns that lead to a raft of regulation for the industry.

Updated guidance for the public was issued in January 2017

The first experimental use of hydraulic fracturing in the world was in 1947, and the first commercially successful applications of hydraulic fracturing were in 1949 in the United States.

In the United Kingdom, the first hydraulic fracturing of an oil well was carried out shortly after discovery of the West Sole field in the North Sea in 1965. After the industry started to use intermediate- and high-strength proppants in late 1970s, hydraulic fracturing became a common technique in the North Sea oil and gas wells. The first hydraulic fracturing from ship was conducted in the British Southern North Sea in 1980, with massive or high volume hydraulic fracturing used from 1984 onwards.


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