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Written question asked by Tessa Munt (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 4 February 2015, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 9 February 2015 (named day). A holding answer was provided on Monday, 9 February 2015. A substantive answer was provided by Matt Hancock (Conservative) on Tuesday, 10 February 2015 on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Fracking

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the risks posed by wells abandoned after use for high volume hydraulic fracturing.

Answer

The current regulatory framework requires that wells are made safe so that they can be decommissioned securely. Few instances are known of problems with decommissioned wells, and none of significant pollution caused by decommissioned wells.

When operations finish, the licensee (and there may be more than one for each licence) is responsible for safe decommissioning of the well(s) and for restoring the well-site to its previous state or a suitable condition for re-use.

The key aim of the procedure for decommissioning a well is to ensure that the well will require no further work and ensure that it is permanently sealed.

The Health and Safety Executive scrutinises the design of all wells prior to any construction taking place. It also monitors well construction and will undertake joint visits to all new shale gas and oil wells with the Environment Agency. HSE also scrutinises the decommissioning/ abandonment process in the same way.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
223322
Session
2014-15
Subjects
Fracking
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk