IT WAS announced recently that petroleum exploration and development licences (PEDL) covering Mid-Cheshire have been granted to a company called INEOS.

The licenses were due to be announced in August 2015 but further assessment was required due to the geology of the area.

UK unconventional gas extraction is a major threat, in the form of three different processes – shale gas, coal bed methane (CBM) and underground coal gasification (UCG). While there are lots of technical differences these processes all involve drilling large numbers of directional wells at regular intervals.

Hydraulic fracturing is carried out in shale gas and CBM by injecting millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals under massive pressure to flush out gas.

UCG is even more extreme and involves setting fire to coal seams underground.  There are numerous reasons for opposing fracking, such as:  The history of salt mining and subsidence in the area  Contamination of groundwater has been a consistent consequence of fracking in US, Canada and Australia Depletion of the water table Earthquakes, as was the case in 2011 when fracking was attempted in Blackpool Toxic and radioactive waste water brought to the surface – there is no safe way to dispose of the fluid All wells leak eventually – five per cent of wells fail immediately Air pollution Impacts on health Increased road traffic – 2,000 truck movements are needed to frack one well.

We should be investing in clean, renewable energy, not continuing on our exploration for dirty fossil fuels.

Instead, the government is actively promoting the growth of the fracking industry while slashing feed-in tariffs for solar energy and cutting subsidies for onshore wind farms.

Fracking does not offer energy security – 3,500 wells will only provide enough for one year’s worth of energy consumption in the UK.

Unconventional gas extraction does not produce large amounts of gas per well and production drastically declines after one year.

For the industry to be viable, large numbers of new wells need to be constantly drilled to maintain production.

We are faced with the prospect of over 6,000 wells in Cheshire – up to eight wells per square mile – and the landscape will be drastically changed forever. Construction of access roads and pipelines will see further industrialisation of our surrounding countryside.

However, all is not lost. Inspiration can be taken from Frack Free Dee and other community groups in Cheshire, which are coming together to stand against fracking. The Upton Community Protection Camp has occupied land on Dutton’s Lane, Upton, since April 2014 and is the only thing preventing IGas from going ahead with exploratory drilling. The site in Upton is only 500m from schools and housing. In Australia, gold standard regulations ensure that there is a 2km exclusion zone around exploratory drills. No such regulations are in place in the UK.  Residents of Northwich and surrounding areas have the advantage of knowing about this before actual planning permission has been granted. By grouping together now, we can combine our skill sets and build strong opposition. We can object to planning applications, spread awareness of the negative consequences of this industry and make our voices heard.

If you want to protect Northwich and the surrounding areas from the fracking industry, then please get involved. I invite you to like the Facebook page facebook.com/frackfreenorthwich, follow @FrackFreeNwich on Twitter, or e-mail frackfreenorthwich@gmail.com for more details.

Owen Hardiker Northwich