Shropshire set for shale gas extraction?

Energy prospectors could be eyeing up sites in rural Shropshire as the Government prepares to sell licences for gas exploration.

The area between Ellesmere and Whitchurch is believed to be rich in deposits of shale gas, which could attract energy firms when drilling licences are dished out.

Shale gas is a natural gas trapped within sedimentary rock. It is extracted by horizontal drilling or a process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracing, where the pressure from fluids is used to break the rock to set the gas free.

Potential operators will need a licence from the Department for Energy and Climate Change, the authority of the landowner and local authority planning permission.

No bids have in come in for Shropshire sites so far.

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