The Interim Director of Corporate Services reported that following reports of exploratory works for shale gas in Lancashire, concern had been raised about environmental implications, in particular about test drilling near Blackpool, which was followed by earthquakes on the Fylde coast. It had also been reported that the company IGas Energy had licenses, covering over more than 700km2 between Manchester and the Mersey/Dee estuaries, to extract gas from onshore underground coal seams including locations in Liverpool and Wirral. The company had estimated that 1.95 trillion cubic feet of shale gas may lie trapped under Wirral alone.

The Interim Director provided an outline of the extraction process and reported upon local and national responsibilities and regulatory roles in relation to development for gas exploration and extraction.

Resolved – That the report be noted.