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The Environment Agency has issued a Mineral Waste Variation Permit – Permit number: EPR/BB3300XG/V003 – to allow Horse Hill Development Ltd (HHDL) to carry out flow testing at Horse Hill.

No new drilling will take place at this stage (the exploratory well was drilled in late 2014).  And there will be no flaring.

HHDL still needs other regulatory approvals from the Health and Safety Executive and Oil and Gas Authority.  But they are one step closer.  How ironic that they got this permit on the day the UN climate summit started – and the day after many Surrey residents were marching in London in defence of the climate.

Read the rest of this entry >>

It’s going to be a big month for the climate!

Next week, Governments are coming together in Paris to sign a new global agreement to tackle climate change.

This is probably the most important international summit ever. It will determine what kind of future we are shaping for our children and our planet. It’s a chance for political leaders to agree to end carbon pollution from fossil fuels by the middle of the century. This is critical if we are to keep global temperature rises below 2°C.

You can support the campaign for a strong climate agreement, and for climate-friendly policies locally. There are two great meetings taking place this week – unfortunately they clash so you will have to choose just one of them – and a national march and rally on Sunday.  And please sign the petitions on this page and forward the details to your friends.

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Anti-drilling campaigners at the Holmwood site

There will be a public meeting this Wednesday to discuss the protection of public water supplies and the environment at Leith Hill.

Exploratory oil drilling is planned to begin next year at Bury Hill Wood, Holmwood, a beauty spot near Leith Hill which is within both the Green Belt and the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  Read the rest of this entry >>

A comprehensive health study published in October summarises research showing how fracking for gas and oil harms human health.

The report, written by Physicians for Social Responsibility and Concerned Health Professionals of New York, highlights health risks ranging from air and water pollution to a newly emerging problem:  leakage of methane and toxic gases from natural gas compressors, pipelines and other infrastructure.

This fully referenced, 150-page report brings together findings from scientific and medical journals, government and industry reports, and journalistic investigation.

Download Compendium of Scientific, Medical and Media Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking (Unconventional Gas and Oil Extraction), Third Edition, October 14, 2015, or read it online: http://www.psr.org/assets/pdfs/fracking-compendium.pdf

More than 70 people turned out on a rainy Saturday in Oxted for a great community meeting on fracking.

As well as a couple of short films, we were treated to a series of informative and inspiring short talks.

Brenda Pollack, the South East Regional Campaigner from Friends of the Earth, who supports many local anti-fracking groups across the region, gave a brief introduction to what fracking is and why many people oppose it due to  the risks of air and water pollution. She pointed out that research shows that unconventional wells are four times more likely to fail than conventional ones and that research coming in from countries where fracking has been happening is showing that there can be health impacts.  Read the rest of this entry >>

Map of block TQ34d taken fromDECC Habitats Regulations Assessments of 14th Onshore Oil and Gas Licensing Round

This summer, the government held a consultation about how new oil and gas licences may affect the UK’s most important wildlife sites.

The new licence blocks were announced under the 14th round in August. The government was required to assess what impact oil or gas operations would have on wildlife sites protected under European law.

One of the new licence blocks  is in Surrey: it covers Lingfield, Horne and Blindley Heath. Read more about block TQ34d here

Block TQ34d is close to the Ashdown Forest Special Protection Area. EU member states have a duty to protect the habitats of migratory birds and certain particularly threatened birds in SPAs.

It also overlaps with a wildlife site managed by Surrey Wildlife Trust at Blindley Heath.  Read the rest of this entry >>

BBC Insight South East ran a piece on the Horse Hill oil well near Gatwick this week.

It’s interesting viewing – and  debunks the ‘100 billion barrels of oil under the Weald’ figure we heard back in April. You can watch the programme here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06h87kw/inside-out-south-east-12102015 (It’s available for 27 days at the time of writing)

One of the interviewees, Professor Al Fraser, a petroleum geologist working at Imperial College, London, gave a useful explanation of the characteristics of the Weald oil basin.

And he estimated that far from the bonanza the media had speculated about, the Horse Hill well might in fact make a profit of about $150 a day.

Meanwhile, nothing is happening on (or under) the ground at Horse Hill.

Back in May, Horse Hill Developments Limited, the site operators, applied to the Environment Agency for a Mineral Waste Variation Permit, which would allow them to test the well they drilled last summer (subject to getting various other permits too).

As far as we know, the Environment Agency has still not issued this permit.

If the Mineral Waste Variation Permit is issued, the operators will still need a Radioactive Substances Permit – which is also subject to a public consultation.  So it’s not likely that testing will take place any time soon.

A group from two local Green Party branches visited the Horse Hill site on Sunday.  You can read a report on the Reigate & Banstead Green Party website

Keep fossil fuels in the ground!

Industry consultants Schlumberger have evaluated the unconventional oil potential of the Horse Hill-1 well – and increased the estimate of unconventional oil available.

The following is an excerpt from a press release from UK Oil & Gas Investments plc (UKOG):

“Schlumberger has estimated a gross overall oil in place (“OIP”) for the Jurassic section of the well to be approximately 271 million barrels of oil (“mmbbls”) per square mile.

“A total of 255 mmbbls gross OIP lies within the tight limestone and mudstone plays of the Kimmeridge, Oxford Clay and Lias. The balance is in the Upper Portland Sandstone discovery previously announced. This figure of 255 mmbbls per square mile can be compared with the OIP estimated by Nutech Ltd and previously reported in April 2015 as gross 158 mmbbls per square mile.

“Oil in place hydrocarbon volume estimates should not be construed as recoverable resources or reserves.”

Neil Ritson, [Chairman of Solo Oil plc which owns a 10% interest in Horse Hill Developments Ltd], commented;

“We are pleased to note that Schlumberger… has confirmed the order of magnitude of the earlier work conducted by Nutech.  Taken together these independent estimates continue to suggest a significant oil potential in the unconventional Jurassic sequence in the Horse Hill area and may have wider significance in the Weald Basin generally.”

Frack Free Surrey says:

“It is important to remember that these figures are estimates and not confirmed reserves.  But regardless of the size of the oil field, there’s no justification in digging it up.

“We oppose the expansion of both conventional and unconventional oil exploitation in East Surrey and across the Weald.

“To prevent climate change we need to leave between two thirds and four fifths of our fossil fuels in the ground. We need urgently to rethink energy policy, reduce energy consumption, and speed up the transition to a clean, green economy based on renewable energy.

“Let’s follow the example of Balcombe, the village which said no to fracking and is now demonstrating that they can meet all their electricity needs with solar energy – and still have some to spare.”

• visit the REPOWER Balcombe website
• Read an article about Balcombe in the Mid Sussex Times

Next steps

The permit application for flow testing is now with the Environment Agency and if permitted, flow testing is expected this Autumn.

The operators of the Horse Hill exploratory oil site near Gatwick have applied to vary their environmental waste permit to allow them to test the well.

The application, by Horse Hill Developments Limited (HHDL), was published by the Environment Agency yesterday. A public consultation runs until 25^th June 2015.

Read the full story on the Drill or Drop website