“Submitting this application is an important milestone in the project to establish the potential to produce gas from the ‘Bowland’ strata beneath North Yorkshire. We know that the gas is present but it is only by actually hydraulically stimulating the rock that we can understand the potential of the gas to flow and the likely volumes that can be produced,” Third Energy operations director John Dewar said, quoted on the company website.
According to the statement, on Friday the company will submit a planning application to North Yorkshire County Council and also apply to the local Environment Agency for a number of permits.
“These include a bespoke mining waste operation permit, including a non-hazardous mining waste facility, a bespoke radioactive substances permit and a bespoke groundwater activity permit,” the document said.
In the United Kingdom, fracking was banned from June 2011 to April 2012 as this method of gas extraction was blamed for minor earthquakes. However, a government report published in 2012 said fracking was safe if conducted properly and monitored.
In mid-May, UK's newly appointed energy secretary Amber Rudd told the Sunday Times that the government was going to loosen fracking regulations. The new legislation is expected to be adopted in 2016 and allows for, among other points, drilling for gas under national parks.
