Island Gas Ltd (IGas) has applied to extend by three years the life of its proposed development of shale gas in the village of Misson, North Nottinghamshire.
The company said it wanted the extension to allow the Government to consider fully the future of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, following the moratorium introduced on 4 November 2019.
Planning permission for the shale gas development on land off Springs Road expired in November 2020.
IGas proposes to develop a hydrocarbon wellsite and drill up to two exploratory hydrocarbon wells (one vertically and one horizontally) by a drill rig and associated ancillary works.
In its application to Nottingham Council Council, the company said it planned to develop the site in four phases.
Phase 1 would be the construction of the wellsite and Phase 2 included drilling of up to two exploratory wells for hydrocarbons including potential shale gas (the first one vertical and the second one horizontal).
Phase 3 would require suspension of wells and an assessment of the drilling results, and Phase 4 would be decommissioning, well abandonment and restoration.
IGas drilled the Springs Rd 1 well in early 2019 and data confirmed “significant gas bearing shale sections in the Upper Gainsborough shale and the Lower Gainsborough shale” which was of a “very material world class resource.”
The company is continuing its analysis before finalising the design for the Springs Rd 2 well including the precise orientation of the lateral and the landing point.
IGas has so far built a well site and drilled within planning legislation. If the moratorium is removed it will apply to drill a second well, Springs Rd 2, and hydraulically fracture and flow test the same well.