Cuadrilla suspends fracking at Lancashire site following tremors

Cuadrilla has stopped hydraulic fracturing at its Preston New Road shale gas exploration site in Lancashire, UK, after detecting tremors with a 1.5 magnitude.

The tremors were detected following a series of microseismic events in Blackpool.

The company had to pause the fracking operations three times, including the latest suspension, since the events began in October.

The company noted that the largest tremor, with a 1.5 magnitude, occurred after fracking activities had finished for the day.

In a statement, Cuadrilla said: “According to recent research by the University of Liverpool, the impact would be like dropping a melon. Cuadrilla will pause and continue to monitor microseismicity for at least the next 18 hours, in line with the traffic light system regulations.”

Hydraulic fracturing involves pumping liquids at a high pressure to extract oil and gas from shale rocks.

Environmentalists have opposed the technique as they fear it could pose a significant risk to the environment. Protestors have assembled several times at the Lancashire site to put pressure on the company to put an end to fracking.

In 2011, a 2.3-magnitude tremor was detected when Cuadrilla first attempted to frack gas at the Preston New Road site in Little Plumpton. As a result, the UK Government imposed an 18-month nationwide ban on fracking.

Later, the government implemented a traffic light system for monitoring seismic events during fracking operations.

Operators need to temporarily halt fracking if the readings measure any tremor measuring 0.5 or higher.

Under the system, recordings less than zero are classified as ‘green’, while tremors with a magnitude of up to 0.5 require operators to proceed fracking with caution.

Last month, Cuadrilla reported the extraction of first shale gas from the site, although flows were small.