Oil and gas company IGas has revealed it has secured a rig to drill its proposed exploration well in Ellesmere Port.
The site, at Merseyton Road, has planning permission at which stage there were no objections.
In an announcement, IGas says the rig is expected to ‘spud’ (or start) in late 2014.
It explains the Ellesmere Port operation, involving a straight vertical exploration well, will be the third it has drilled to give the company results from wells across its licenced areas in the North West.
An IGas spokesperson said: “The exploratory work undertaken together with offset well data has given the company information to design an appropriate hydraulic fracture programme for wells in the area.
“This will prove invaluable for future planning applications for potential shale wells and the ability to demonstrate the commerciality of gas extraction from these deep formations.”
Chief executive Andrew Austin said: “We are delighted to have secured a suitable rig for our exploration well at Ellesmere Port.
“This well, similar to the one we successfully drilled at Barton Moss earlier this year, is to further appraise geology in the North West and another step in unlocking Britain’s onshore energy resources.”
Planning permission for the well, on land off Merseyton Road between the M53 and the Ship Canal, dates back to an application approved in 2010.
The company says no fracking is proposed as part of exploration on the site, which covers about one-and-a-half football pitches.
It is looking to drill down 2,100m to test for the presence of methane in the coal bed beneath the town or oil or gas at deeper levels.
Protest group Frack Off claims, however the community is ‘mobilising’.
The London-based firm is licensed to explore in the ‘Ocean Gateway’ area which includes along the Mersey and Dee Estuaries, Cheshire, North Wales and the approaches to Manchester.
Research has already suggested the coal beds and potentially shale in the area have the potential to hold very large amounts of gas.
As a first step, the site will be capped with an impermeable membrane to prevent fluids used during the drilling to escape into the surface or the local environment.
As the well is drilled, each section will be cased off with steel pipes to protect groundwater and ensure the well is isolated from the surrounding rock.
IGas describes the containment of oil or gas within the well on its way to the surface as the ‘utmost priority’.
Drilling usually takes about 12 weeks and involves a slimline derrick about 32m in height which is removed as soon as drilling is complete.
The operation continues 24 hours a day, seven days a week after which the site is cleared.
Analysis then takes several months.
IGas says the well site will be subject to regular inspections by the borough council to ensure the site and drilling operations comply with detailed conditions in the planning permission. These cover issues including noise and air quality.
Independent environmental consultants will also be on hand.
IGas says the drilling programme will be completed in accordance with industry best practice and will meet requirements laid down by bodies including the Department for Energy, the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive in addition to the planning conditions.
The company explains the exploration well, which has permission until 2039, could lead to further detailed assessments and production if it is successful which would require a new planning application and permits.
On possible fracking, it said: “We do not have planning permission for any hydraulic fracturing to take place at the Ellesmere Port site.
“If we find there might be potential for this in the future then we would have to submit a new and separate planning application and apply for the relevant permits.
“This will require full consultation.”
