Cuadrilla abandons plans to frack at Lower Stumble well site in Balcombe

UK-based energy firm Cuadrilla announced that it has discarded fracking plans at its Lower Stumble well site in West Sussex.

Last year, anti-fracking protesters with concerns over environmental damage, gathered in the village as the company started exploratory drilling in the area.

Cuadrilla had already found oil at the site by drilling a conventional exploration well, and it now intends to use flow-testing operations to measure the quantity and flow rate of oil to the surface.

The well was drilled horizontally for 1,700ft through the Micrite formation at a depth of around 2,350ft below ground level.

Cuadrilla chief executive officer Francis Egan said that in 2013 the company expected to and did find oil in the rock.

"However, without testing we cannot be sure at what rate the oil may flow to the surface," he said.

The company has confirmed that the target rock underneath Lower Stumble is naturally fractured based on analysis of the samples obtained from the well.

"The presence of these natural fractures and the nature of the rock means that we do not intend to hydraulically fracture the exploration well at Lower Stumble now or in the future," Egan added.

Fracking is the process of pumping high-pressure liquids into the ground to fracture shale rocks to release oil or gas.

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Image: Aerial view of Cuadrilla site. Photo: courtesy of Cuadrilla.