Anna Soubry MP has given a cautious welcome to the plan to explore for shale gas in a small part of Broxtowe.
Anna said “any future for fracking must involve a full consultation with all local residents and I would urge people to get the facts before rejecting the potential benefits shale gas offers.”
Energy company “Warwick Energy” has been awarded an onshore exploration licence, which could include parts of Broxtowe. The company will be carrying out a review of the area for up to two years, during which time no drilling operations will be undertaken.
Anna added “this is an exploratory licence, and we remain a long way from permission being granted to actively extract gas. I strongly believe that operations should be safe, and must not be at the great expense of local communities or the environment. I will be meeting the company’s director in January to seek assurances and discuss these issues further”.
If drilling is deemed appropriate, Warwick Energy will have to follow the necessary steps, including a consultation and an environmental impact assessment, before any planning permission request can be made for specific sites. It is unlikely that any drilling activities will commence before 2020.