The British government has awarded 27 licences for the exploration of onshore oil and gas reserves and says that it will also fast-track the consent process for shale gas projects.
The British government has awarded 27 licences for the exploration of onshore oil and gas reserves and says that it will also fast-track the consent process for shale gas projects.
In a bid to kick-start development in the country’s nascent shale gas sector, the UK’s Oil and Gas Authority said that licences from the 14th onshore oil and gas licensing round would be formally offered to successful companies.
The news came just days after the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) announced that shale gas planning applications would be fast-tracked through a new dedicated planning process "to ensure communities and the industry benefit from a swift process for developing safe and suitable new sites".
Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd said that the policy would help to improve energy security in the UK and help to ensure that shale applications couldn’t be frustrated by "slow and confused" decision making by local councils.
The measures will mean that government ministers will consider "calling-in" shale exploration applications and recover appeals on a case-by-case basis.
"To ensure we get this industry up and running we can’t have a planning system that sees applications dragged out for months, or even years on end," said Rudd. "We now need, above all else, a system that delivers timely planning decisions and works effectively for local people and developers."
Ken Cronin, CEO of UKOOG, the UK’s onshore oil and gas trade body, welcomed the government’s move. "Recent experience has shown that the planning process is unwieldy and the time taken for planning decisions has soared from three months to over a year, causing delay and cost and this is not the interests of local people, the industry, or indeed the British people.
"It is right that the government is acting to ensure that local people can have their say and that the highest standards of safety and environmental protection are met, but also ensuring that the planning process itself is fit for purpose."