The application, which will allow the firm to fracture the well in multiple places over an eight week test period, was approved with seven votes in favour and four votes against. Up until now no council has approved an application for fracking in the UK since a ban was lifted in 2012.
In statement North Yorkshire Council said: “The committee has sat for two days and listened to over 100 speakers before deliberating the planning officer’s report and recommendation to accept Third Energy’s application.”
“This has been a long and taxing process which the committee has undertaken with very careful consideration of all the issues raised.”
Here’s how the industry reacted to the landmark decision of the council to approve Third Energy’s fracking application:
Third Energy chief executive Rasik Valand
“This approval, is not as a victory, but is a huge responsibility. We will have to deliver on our commitment, made to the committee and to the people of Ryedale, to undertake this operation safely and without impacting on the local environment.
“However, don’t expect to see any activities on site in the near future. We have conditions from both the planning authority and the Environment Agency to discharge. There are other consents and notifications required prior to receiving final consent from the Secretary of State. Then there is the normal commercial and project management work, such as the letting of contracts and ordering of long lead items.
“The purpose of this application is to establish if the gas seen in some samples in this hybrid sandstone shale formation can be made to flow, at what process conditions and for how long. If this flows, then we will need to assess how it performs for some months before making any conclusions.
“So now we move on to the next stage of obtaining required approvals.”
Energy minister Andrea Leadsom
“This decision has been made by the local council. We’re very clear that fracking is a fantastic opportunity. It’s good for jobs, the economy and strengthens our energy security.
“We already have tough regulation in place to ensure that fracking is safe. We are now looking forward to the safe exploration of shale gas beginning and finding out just how much of this home grown energy supply is available to power our homes and businesses.”
This controversial decision shows why we need tough environmental rules before #fracking can take place. The government was wrong to u-turn.
— Lisa Nandy (@lisanandy) May 23, 2016
.@lfeatherstone is right. Fracking is an unwelcome distraction at a time when we should be focussing on developing the renewable sector.
— Tim Farron (@timfarron) May 23, 2016
Congratulations to Third Energy on receiving planning permission from North Yorkshire County Council to carry out fracking.
— Cuadrilla (@CuadrillaUK) May 23, 2016
IGas spokesperson
“We were delighted that Third Energy were granted planning permission to hydraulically fracture their existing KM8 well and welcome the decision taken by North Yorkshire County Councillors in their careful consideration of the facts and the recognition that this established onshore industry can carry out its operations safely and environmentally responsibly.
“There is a pressing need to deliver lower carbon energy that is home grown, provides important energy security for the future alongside economic benefits to the local communities as well as the country as a whole.”
UK Onshore Oil and Gas chief executive Ken Cronin
(Speaking on the Today programme)
“Yesterday’s decision was an important step. I think people do forget though that we have been producing oil and gas in this country for many, many decades.
“We have hydraulically fractured over two hundred wells in this country. The difference for shale is that we use higher volumes. The technique is well known onshore in this country and in the North Sea…
“What we need to do is move away from coal as quickly as possible. What we’ve seen in the US is a massive reduction in emissions coming from the electricity sector as a result of a shift from coal to gas.”
Friends of the Earth chief executive Craig Bennett
(Speaking on the Today programme)
“The fact is in 2016 we should not be building brand new oil and has infrastructure. We should not be looking at new techniques to extract yet more oil and gas out of the ground. Remember this is less than six months since David Cameron went to Paris for the climate change agreement…
“The very best you can say about shale gas in the UK is it’s a bit akin to moving from high tar cigarettes to medium tar, when your doctors saying you need to give up entirely…
“This suggestion that you can move in a very leisurely way from coal to gas and then from gas to renewables and take several decades; this is absurd; this cloud cuckoo land if you look at what actually climate scientists are telling us.”
Energy and Climate Change Intelligence Unit director Richard Black
“Although proponents of fracking will claim today’s decision as a victory, the fundamental questions around UK shale gas haven’t changed.
“As we see from protests outside the council today and from opinion surveys the public is not supportive, and the economics remain unclear – so whether commercial fracking ever goes ahead is still an open question.
“Other issues also remain open. Last year, the Commons Environmental Audit Committee said fracking is incompatible with our climate change targets, and the government hasn’t been able to show they’re wrong.
“If leakage rates are above a few percent, gas burning turns out to be worse than coal for climate change, and yet the government hasn’t set a maximum permissible leakage level.”
Professor of global energy at Warwick Business School Michael Bradshaw
“While Third Energy has got its planning permission, it is clear that it has failed to obtain a social licence from the local community. The sentiment of those living in Ryedale was overwhelmingly against shale gas development…
“The industry is in its very earliest stages of development and the Kirby Misperton site is not representative of the exploration and appraisal programme that must be followed to determine whether or not shale gas is commercially viable. A programme of 20-30 exploratory wells will be required across the licence blocks of the Bowland shale.
“The Kirby Misperton decision should have no bearing on the outcome of the Cuadrilla appeal, but the industry will feel buoyed by the fact that it is up and running again after a five-year hiatus.”
Greenpeace head of energy campaigns Daisy Sands
“Given the pro fracking bias from central government, there was an air of inevitability about this bitterly disappointing decision.
“It is striking that the overwhelming number of speakers giving evidence at the two-day hearing were against fracking and Ryedale Parish Council voted against fracking at its back door, but North Yorkshire Council has overlooked this and the many, many concerns that were raised locally.
“But this isn’t over and people will continue to raise their very valid concerns and keep fighting against fracking because it will industrialise the beautiful Yorkshire countryside and contribute to climate change.”