Media Statement
23 May 2011

*** Strict Embargo to 22.00 Hrs 23/05/11 ***

Cuadrilla welcomes select committee findings on shale gas

Responding to the publication tonight of the Energy and Climate Change Committee’s report on Shale Gas, Mark Miller, Chief Executive of Cuadrilla Resources welcomed the clear findings.

Speaking as the report was issued, Mark Miller said:

“The Committee has carried out a very thorough investigation, including spending a day examining our Blackpool operations in great detail. We also gave detailed written evidence and provided several hours of oral evidence at Westminster.

“The Committee reported that it found no evidence that the hydraulic fracturing process posed any direct risk to underground water aquifers provided the well is constructed properly.

“We have always supported the case for maintaining the present stringent regulatory standards in the UK to continue to provide clear precautionary safeguards against the concerns which have been highlighted and much debated in the United States, where regulatory standards differ.

We will continue to operate our sites as exemplar on-shore natural gas projects and to continue to set a European bench-mark for use of state-of-the-art equipment combined with the most stringent site standards, operating procedures and precautionary safeguards. Cuadrilla will continue to maintain its high standards for exploration of natural gas from shale in the UK and across Europe and to work closely with all the regulatory agencies on an on-going basis.