Cuadrilla acknowledges and regrets the disruption and inconvenience Balcombe villagers will experience as a result of the No Dash for Gas Action Camp (16 – 21 August).
After taking advice from Sussex Police, Cuadrilla is temporarily scaling back drilling operations ahead of the event. During this time, our main concern is the safety of our staff, Balcombe’s residents and the protesters following threats of direct action against the exploration site. We plan to resume full operations as soon as it is safe to do so.
We appreciate Balcombe Parish Council’s decision to explain that our operations are entirely legal and that the village has neither invited No Dash for Gas nor condones any illegal actions its supporters may commit. We will continue working closely with the police and local authorities throughout the planned protest and we continue to support the right to protest peacefully.
Cuadrilla’s CEO Francis Egan said:
“Cuadrilla’s exploration work at Balcombe involves drilling a conventional oil well. External groups protesting against hydraulic fracturing at Balcombe do so without any work proposal from Cuadrilla to judge. Any hydraulic fracturing proposal would require a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment, public consultations and multi-agency regulatory reviews, all of which would be available for scrutiny.”
About Cuadrilla
Cuadrilla is a UK company based in Staffordshire. Formed in 2007 as a privately owned exploration and production company, our focus is on bringing together experts to recover natural resources, such as those found in Lancashire.