OGUK: Push to ban fracing in UK ‘ill-informed’

Jan. 26, 2015
The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee’s proposed amendment to the infrastructure bill that would introduce a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in the UK is “ill-informed” and would derail industry and cross-party efforts to maximize economic recovery of oil and gas from the North Sea, Oil & Gas UK said on Jan. 26.

A correction and addition were made to this article on Jan. 26.

The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee’s proposed amendment to the infrastructure bill that would introduce a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in the UK is “ill-informed” and would derail industry and cross-party efforts to maximize economic recovery of oil and gas from the North Sea, Oil & Gas UK said on Jan. 26.

“If this amendment is successful, the future of the North Sea will be put into serious jeopardy, placing at risk our indigenous energy supply and leaving us more reliant on imports,” stated Malcolm Webb, OGUK’s chief executive.

“Hundreds of thousands of UK jobs and the country’s place as a global leader in offshore engineering and technology would then also be in peril,” said Webb.

He emphasized the numerous challenges presented by the aging North Sea, including falling oil prices, and urged the implementation of Sir Ian Wood’s 2013 report on the UKCS, a “blueprint for maximizing economic recovery of the North Sea’s oil and gas (OGJ Online, Nov. 11, 2013).”

Said Webb, “I therefore urge MPs from all parties to preserve the cross party support that the Wood Report has so far enjoyed and to ensure that the infrastructure bill is approved on Monday.”