A local UK council has approved planning permission for a proposed IGas project to drill two exploratory wells in order to evaluate geology and assess potential shale gas recovery, IGas announced in a statement Friday.
Nottinghamshire County Council has validated the proposal for the site near Springs Road, Misson, located about 70 km (43 miles) east of Manchester, after IGAS "met all of NCC's requirements."
The application will now undergo a period of public consultation before planning officers make a recommendation to the planning committee.
Stephen Bowler, CEO of IGas, said that the drilling of the wells "would be an important step in understanding the shale gas potential of North Nottinghamshire," adding that "it is vital that the UK identifies new sources of gas if it is to safeguard the UK's security of supply."
In August, UK Energy Secretary Amber Rudd outlined new measures to fast- track shale planning applications, including potentially bypassing local councils, if the application decision process is not determined within a 16- week timeframe or if councils underperform during the application process.
The UK is estimated to hold between 23.3 Tcm and 64.6 Tcm of shale gas reserves, with a central estimate of 37.6 Tcm, according to a report published by the British Geological Survey in July 2013 on behalf of the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change.
