By Paul Homewood
Double standards? Surely not!
The Government has been accused of "blatant double standards" for allowing drilling in Cornwall that is able to cause stronger tremors than fracking.
The United Downs Deep Geothermal Project, in Redruth, Cornwall, is the UK’s first geothermal extraction site which opened in December 2018. It consists of two deep wells at least 2,500m in depth being drilled into the ground to extract renewable energy.
However, unlike fracking, tremors caused by geothermal drilling are not formally regulated by a national government body. This is despite the “seismic hazard” of the process which can cause earthquakes “magnitude four and above” that could be felt by up to 4000 Cornish homes, an assessment of the Redruth site stated.
Dr Ben Edwards, from the University of Liverpool’s school of environmental studies, said the current regulations for geothermal drilling are “ad hoc”, adding: “You would assume, given the similarity of the processes, that there would be a similar regulatory oversight for both.”
Dr Edwards said the geothermal drilling process requires more liquid than fracking, which could result in stronger earthquakes. “In terms of the earthquakes, we know that one of the most obvious links between injected fluids and earthquakes is the amount of fluid injected. Geothermal tends to inject a lot more [than fracking] and deeper down,” he said.
“It seems to me unusual that there is not a regulatory body in place,” he added. Francis Egan, chief executive officer of Cuadrilla, said that the double regulatory standards being applied to shale gas extraction and geothermal are unacceptable, adding:
“I am shocked and disappointed by the blatant double standards being applied to the shale gas industry with no scientific basis or credible research. “UK geothermal projects, supported by Government funds, using almost identical drilling and fracking procedures”.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/05/04/government-has-double-standards-allowing-drilling-devon/
via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT
May 9, 2019 at 04:15AM
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