Ineos Shale has received permission to pursue in court its disputed application for a seismic survey to assess shale-gas potential in Nottinghamshire, England.
The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) referred the issue to the High Court after the National Trust, a conservation group that administers protected land, rejected the planned 250-sq-km 3D survey over Clumber Park.
The trust said it opposed any activity that might lead to production of fossil fuels.
Ineos Shale said the OGA “noted the UK government’s support for a shale industry in the UK and that the geophysical survey is required to explore for resources in its licensed area.”
Commercial Director Lynn Calder said the company considered legal action “the last resort.”
It said the trust “wouldn’t even have discussions with us in this case owing to a political objection to shale gas.”
Ineos Shale recently encountered county-level opposition to a vertical core test it wants to drill near the village of Marsh Lane (OGJ Online, Feb. 7, 2018).
