Fracking plans submitted for British shale

LONDON, May 30 (UPI) -- British shale explorer Cuadrilla Resources, the target of heated protests, said it submitted plans for new fracking operations to Lancashire County officials.

"The proposal covers the works required to drill, hydraulically fracture and test the flow of gas from up to four exploration wells on the site," the company said in a statement Thursday.

When the company announced its intent to submit plans to Lancashire officials in early May, Caudrilla CEO Francis Egan said the application would be an "important milestone" for British shale.

In March, the company said it believes there are 200 trillion cubic feet of shale natural gas in the Bowland basin in Lancashire.

The company was the target of major demonstrations last summer when exploratory operations in the southern village of Balcombe were viewed as a prelude to fracking, though the process wasn't carried out at the site.

Caudrilla said Thursday there would be a detailed environmental statement available for Lancashire residents once county officials validate it within the next two weeks.

Some of the chemicals used during fracking are seen as threats to groundwater supplies. Minor tremors have also been associated with the drilling process.