Horizontal drilling comes to the UK, but fracking must wait
Pioneering driller Cuadrilla is optimistic over shale gas well prospects
Cuadrilla Resources says it has moved closer towards launching the UK's first major fracking project by drilling the country's first ever horizontal shale gas well at its Preston New Road site in Lancashire, north-west England. The company hasn't been cleared to carry out hydraulic fracturing, which has been halted in the UK since earth tremors were recorded during tests at another Cuadrilla site in 2011. However, the company is optimistic that it will be cleared to frack in the near future, both in this well and another it plans to drill now. The company, which says it has permission to drill four wells in all on the site, has drilled its first horizontal well through the Lower Bowland sh
Also in this section
3 April 2025
IOCs and Western lenders are reluctant to commit to new oil and gas projects in African frontier countries
2 April 2025
The often-hidden yet powerful hand maintains supply chain linkages and global flows amid disruptions
2 April 2025
At some point it is likely that $70/bl will be quietly accepted as the producer-consumer sweet spot for a US administration having to balance both sides of the ledger
1 April 2025
There is method to the US president’s apparent madness, and those seeking to understand need look no further than their local bookshop
