Consultation on permit application for Rathlin Energy opens
The Environment Agency has opened a consultation on a permit variation application from Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited in East Yorkshire.
The company, which has operated at West Newton in East Yorkshire since 2013, has an environmental permit for drilling wells and long-term oil and gas production.
It has applied to vary the permit for West Newton A well site (WNA) at Fosham Road in High Fosham.
The Environment Agency is now seeking views from the local community and interested groups on the application.
The consultation will run from Tuesday 19 November to Friday 3 January, 2025.
The operator has applied to carry out ‘reservoir stimulation’ on the existing WNA-2 well. This is a process used by the oil and gas industry, which is designed to improve the efficiency of the flow of oil or gas through the reservoir rock and into the well.
Mining and extractive industries must have an environmental permit to operate. Issued by the Environment Agency, environmental permits detail the conditions that an operator is required to meet to ensure its activities minimise the risk of harm to people and the environment.
EA will carry out ‘detailed assessment’
Peter Stevenson, Area Environment Manager at the Environment Agency, said:
We will carry out a detailed and rigorous assessment of Rathlin Energy’s permit variation application.
Our regulatory controls for the onshore oil and gas industry are in place to protect people and the environment.
We may only refuse a permit application if it does not meet one or more of the legal requirements under environmental legislation, including if it will have an unacceptable impact on the environment or harm human health. If all the requirements are met, we are legally obliged to issue a permit.
We welcome comments from the public and interested groups on local environmental factors that people feel are important.
The consultation is live on the Environment Agency’s Citizen Space website
Background
- The reservoir stimulation will result in some extractive waste – waste produced by the extraction, treatment and storage of minerals - being retained in the ground. Therefore the operator has also applied for a ‘mining waste facility’ to authorise this.
- Changes are also proposed to the permit boundary, the surface water discharge process, and the location of the already permitted crude oil storage facility.
- Responses to the consultation can be made electronically.
- Information on the website explains how you can view the consultation documents and how you can make your comments. We also explain what we can and can’t take into account when deciding on the application.
- Anyone wishing to comment on the proposals is urged to read the documentation online before responding directly on the website or by email to pscpublicresponse@environment-agency.gov.uk
- Those unable to make representation via the consultation website or by email should contact the Environment Agency on 03708 506 506.