Operations have begun at the Lancaster fracking site after protestors had been blocking the entrance.
This represents the first time fracking has occurred in the United Kingdom since 2011.
Beginning Despite the Protests
Fracking has been halted across the United Kingdom since 2011. Previous operations were halted in the U.K. because they were believed to have been linked with an increase in earthquakes.
Before fracking could begin, protestors did their best to stand in its way. They blocked both a local road and the entrance to the site. Reclaim the Power campaign group activists used a van to block the Preston New Road site entrance, near Blackpool. The entrance remained blocked from 4:30 am for twelve hours.
Equipment Already on Site
Despite the fact that the protestors were blocking the entrance, Cuadrilla, the shale gas company behind the new fracking site, was still able to begin. The company said all the equipment necessary had already been in place. Therefore, they were able to start operations by 1pm.
After the start of the fracking operations, one of the Reclaim the Power protestors, Henry Owen, locked his neck to the top of a scaffold after having climbed to the top. He said it was important for protests to continue. “It’s absolutely vital because this industry has no social licence in the UK,” he said. “It’s being pushed through by government who don’t care about their commitments to take action on climate change.”
Owen said he’d been hopeful that the protestors would have been able to stop the fracking operations from getting started. Another protestor locked herself to the scaffold’s base.
“Cuadrilla is pleased to confirm that it has started hydraulic fracturing operations at our Preston New Road shale gas exploration site. Hydraulic fracturing of both horizontal exploration wells is expected to last three months, after which the flow rate of the gas will be tested,” said a Cuadrilla spokesperson.
Protestors have been targeting Preston New Road since October 2016. At that time, the British government overturned the Lancashire county council’s decision to stop fracking in the area. The government then allowed Cuadrilla to use two wells on the site for shale extraction.
Shughuli za kufungua uwanja wa Lancaster Fracking zimeanza baada ya waandamanaji kuzuia mlango. Hii ni mara ya kwanza kwa kampuni ya Fracking kufanya kazi nchini Uingereza tangu mwaka 2011. Miongoni mwa matukio ya kuvutia zaidi ni kwamba, Fracking imepigwa marufuku nchini Uingereza tangu mwaka 2011. Shughuli za awali zilifutwa nchini Uingereza kwa sababu ilidhaniwa kuwa zina uhusiano na ongezeko la matetemeko ya ardhi. Kabla ya kufyatua maji kuanza, waandamanaji walifanya yote waliyoweza ili kuzuia kazi hiyo. Walifunga barabara ya eneo hilo na njia ya kuingia kwenye eneo hilo. Wanaharakati wa kundi la kampeni la Reclaim the Power walitumia gari ndogo kuzuia mlango wa Preston New Road, karibu na Blackpool. Mlango huo ulifungwa kuanzia saa 4:30 asubuhi kwa muda wa saa kumi na mbili. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""kwa sababu ya kukatika kwa barabara, kampuni ya gesi ya shale ya Cuadrilla, ambayo ni kampuni ya shale ya shale, ilifanya kazi ya kufungua uwanja wa fracking.""" Kampuni hiyo ilisema vifaa vyote vinavyohitajika vimewekwa tayari. Kwa hiyo, waliweza kuanza shughuli zao saa 1 mchana. Baada ya kuanza kwa shughuli za fracking, mmoja wa waandamanaji wa Reclaim the Power, Henry Owen, alifunga shingo yake juu ya scaffold baada ya kupanda juu. Alisema ni muhimu kwa maandamano kuendelea. "Ni muhimu sana kwa sababu sekta hii haina leseni ya kijamii nchini Uingereza", alisema. "Ilikuwa ni kusukumwa kupitia na serikali ambao hawana huduma kuhusu ahadi zao za kuchukua hatua juu ya mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa. ""Owen alisema alikuwa na matumaini kwamba waandamanaji ingekuwa na uwezo wa kuacha fracking shughuli kutoka kupata kuanza." Mwandamanaji mwingine alijifungia kwenye msingi wa mtindo huo. <unk>Cuadrilla inafurahi kuthibitisha kwamba imeanza shughuli za hydraulic fracturing katika tovuti yetu ya Preston New Road shale gesi utafutaji. Upasuaji wa hydraulic fracturing wa visima vyote viwili vya utafutaji wa usawa unatarajiwa kudumu miezi mitatu, baada ya hapo kiwango cha mtiririko wa gesi kitakaguliwa, <unk> alisema msemaji wa Cuadrilla. Waandamanaji wamekuwa wakishambulia barabara ya Preston New Road tangu Oktoba 2016. Wakati huo, serikali ya Uingereza ilibadilisha uamuzi wa baraza la kaunti ya Lancashire wa kuacha fracking katika eneo hilo. Kisha serikali ikamruhusu Cuadrilla kutumia visima viwili kwenye eneo hilo kwa ajili ya uchimbaji wa shale.