UK oil and gas company Europa has stated that it intends to submit its planning application "before the end of November" to build a gas drilling rig at Burniston Mill, Scarborough, despite local community opposition.
Europa's CEO said the company had listened to “people’s concerns” following objections from residents and politicians regarding the potential impacts on the local community and environment.
According to the company, the site design will consider the results of these surveys and include measures to mitigate the impacts during the well site's construction and drilling.
Any appraisal operations at Burniston are subject to planning permission by the mineral planning authority within North Yorkshire Council.
The project may last as long as 17 weeks and aims to determine whether gas located in an underground reservoir in Burniston can be extracted for profitable production.
Scotland and Wales have prohibited shale gas production in recent years. Scotland's ban was implemented in January 2015, prompting similar moratoriums in England.
The ban prevents the extraction of coal bed methane and shale oil and gas through hydraulic fracturing while the Scottish Government investigates the evidence of any potential impacts.
Additionally, the political upheaval at the highest levels of the UK Government has continued to affect the country's position on fracking.
The new Labour government acknowledges that the UK will still need oil and gas until at least 2050 to facilitate a smooth transition to renewable energy and fulfil net zero commitments.
The UK's current gas consumption is double that of the North Sea and onshore sources, with half of the gas consumed imported, often from Norway or Qatar. Europa claimed the imbalance between domestic production and imports will only worsen by 2050.
The UK's imported gas is associated with significantly higher greenhouse gas emissions than domestically produced gas. Additionally, a high reliance on imports makes the country more susceptible to supply security issues, as seen after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Oil and gas companies believe that shale gas has the potential to provide a steady energy source for the UK. BP stated in 2013 that global shale gas production could increase sixfold by 2030.
According to Europa, the 2019 moratorium did not cover low-volume hydraulic fracturing operations, which have been used for many years in the UK. The company said these operations were intentionally left out because they are known to be safe and have a proven environmental, health, and safety-friendly track record.
