Written question asked by Lee Rowley (Conservative) on Thursday, 28 February 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 4 March 2019. It was answered by Claire O'Neill (Conservative) on Friday, 8 March 2019 on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Fracking: Earthquakes

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the traffic light monitoring system for regulating fracking-induced seismicity, for what reason trailing events of over 0.5 magnitude are not categorised as red events.

Answer: The Traffic Light System applies to seismic events recorded during injection or pumping operations, therefore red events are categorised as those of magnitude 0.5 or greater occurring during these operations. However, the Hydraulic Fracture Plan (HFP) for Cuadrilla’s operations at Preston New Road stipulated that any trailing event recorded at magnitude 0.5, or above, also required an 18 hour pause to allow for monitoring and assessment. The HFP must be agreed between the operator and regulators ahead of operations commencing.

Secondary information