Fracking first could trigger Lancashire’s economic renaissance

Lancashire is no stranger to industrial and energy ‘firsts’, and it’s currently on the cusp of another that has more potential to transform the county’s economy than anything else right now: shale gas.

By Lee Petts, chairman, Lancashire for Shale

Cuadrilla has completed the drilling of the UK’s first horizontal shale gas wells at its Preston New Road site and has also obtained the final permission it needs to hydraulically fracture or ‘frack’ the first of them, which it expects to do in Q3 of 2018.

If gas flows prove substantial, there’s a good chance we’ll see exploration move into production and that’s where the BIG opportunities lie; over £10m has already been spent with local firms just to drill two wells, imagine what that spend could look like if activity scales-up substantially - producing billions of cubic metres of gas for local homes and businesses will result in billions of pounds flowing into the Lancashire economy.

Almost a thousand local businesspeople have registered as supporters of the industry with Lancashire For Shale over the years because they are excited about the jobs and supply chain prospects that a successful fracking sector promises - now is the time to join them.

We’ve made it even easier to get involved and keep up-to-date with all the facts and latest developments, which you can do by signing-up on our new website at  www.lancsforshale.org.uk/join It’s high time Lancashire caught up with its nearest regional neighbours, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Merseyside, and experienced its own economic renaissance. Shale could be a major catalyst for this, and it’s up to Lancastrian businesses to make the most of it.