Ineos has reportedly secured a one-year extension for its petroleum exploration and development licence (PEDL 162) in Midland Valley, Scotland.
The extension was awarded by the Scottish Government, as reported by media sources and environmental campaign groups.
Ineos owns an 80% interest in the licence, which covers a 400km² area of the central belt reserved for fracking, while the remaining 20% is held by Reach Coal Seam Gas.
A moratorium has been in place on fracking in the country since 2015, with discussions in progress on the country’s policy and a final decision is yet to be confirmed.
Scotland Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse was quoted by media sources as saying: “The extension of the PEDL 162 licence does not alter the current position that we do not support the development of unconventional oil and gas while the statutory assessments on the Scottish Government’s longer-term preferred policy are undertaken, as explained in the minister’s statement last October.
“It should be remembered that the area affected does not have planning permission or the necessary environmental licences required prior to allowing any unconventional oil and gas extraction.
“In that regard, a result of the actions taken by this government, no local authority can grant planning permission for any proposed fracking or coal bed methane project and Scottish Ministers would defer any decision on any planning application that did come forward until the full policy-making process on our preferred position is completed and, as ministers propose, a policy to not support unconventional oil and gas is adopted in planning policy.”
The licence is adjacent to PEDL 133, in which INEOS holds a 51% stake of the shale layer.
The decision taken by the government to award an extension of the fracking licence has been flayed by environmental groups.
Friends of the Earth Scotland Campaigns head Mary Church said: “It is disappointing that the Scottish Government has opted to extend the licence that was due to expire last month when people locally and nationally have said no to fracking so clearly.”
Last month, Ineos lost a legal challenge against the Scottish Government regarding the effective ban on fracking in the country.
