Acid stimulation: Fracking by stealth continues despite the moratorium in England

The UK government's policy of support for shale gas extraction ended in November 2019 with the imposition of a moratorium on fracking (hydraulic fracturing) in England, and an admission that the policies to manage induced seismicity were insufficient. However, ambiguities remain regarding its scope, despite attempts at clarification. The concept of fracking to improve hydrocarbon production has evolved from defining a specific engineering process, using high volumes of water, to encompass other 'unconventional' methods to achieve the same end. We resolve the various definitions in a scientific, technical, regulatory and legislative context, robustly define unconventional extraction methods (circumventing the need to identify and quantify the various technologies available), and advocate the precautionary principle in drafting and interpreting regulations. Policy should be driven by the engineering of the bulk physical characteristics of the target rock, rather than by the current definitions based on injected fluid volume. To meet climate change concerns, the moratorium should be converted into a ban. In the interim, we argue that, in order to comply with the government's policy of ensuring safe and sustainable operations, the moratorium should be extended to all well stimulation treatments for unconventional hydrocarbon extraction, including acid stimulation.

Automated summary

The UK government's policy of support for shale gas extraction was terminated in November 2019 due to seismicity concerns, and a moratorium was placed on fracking in England. The scope and definition of unconventional extraction methods remain ambiguous, prompting a call for a ban on such methods until further clarification can be made. The focus should shift towards engineering practices for target rocks rather than fluid volume injection to address climate change concerns.