Sussex is sitting on one of the biggest pools of shale gas and oil in the world according to a leading study.
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) and Advanced Research International’s (ARI) World Shale Gas and Shale Oil Resource Assessment has revealed the Weald basin holds 700 million barrels of shale oil.
This makes the basin, which spreads through Kent, Surrey and Sussex, the largest onshore oil field in Britain.
The report said: “While no shale drilling has occurred here yet, the region includes Britain’s largest onshore oil field and appears highly prospective for shale oil development.”
The Weald basin is within the Wessex-Weald region, which spans about 3,500mi2 and reaches depths of 13,000ft.
Privately held Celtique Energie has a 50% share in licenses covering 621mi2 of the basin and the company claims to have the potential to recover 125 million barrels of shale oil.
The company unveiled plans to explore for oil and gas in Fernhurst near Midhurst after holding a public consultation at the end of May on a temporary exploration well.
Fracking
While the company has made it clear it would not be fracking for the initial well, it has indicated if it found data that demonstrated a possibility for ‘commercial hydrocarbon recovery’ then the company might wish to explore the areas further through the use of fracking.
Celtique Energie’s chief executive officer Geoff Davies said: “Our proposals to undertake initial exploratory drilling at a remote and well screened area of land west of Fernhurst would enable us to confirm whether commercially viable levels of oil and gas are present in this area.”
Energy firm Cuadrilla’s drills finally entered the earth in Balcombe on Friday despite fierce opposition from protesters, and Conservative former minister Nick Herbert told The Telegraph that fracking is causing a “fear of the unknown” among Britain’s rural population.
This comes following comments made by the prime minister stating more needs to be done to promote the benefits of fracking.
David Cameron told The Telegraph he believed that shale gas offers “exciting” potential for energy security, jobs and growth and the overnment needs to do more to promote the benefits.
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