Cuadrilla granted five-year extension at gas site

Cuadrilla has been granted a five-year extension to continue running its gas extraction plant in Lancashire.

The energy firm applied to Lancashire County Council for permission to extend Elswick Generation Station on Roseacre Road in Elswick until 2030 and install a new generator unit.

Treales, Roseacre and Wharles Parish Council and county councillor John Singleton were among those opposing the application.

In its submission to the council, Cuadrilla said extending the site's life would "continue to provide sustainable electricity generation".

The site is used for natural gas production.

It was drilled in the 1980s and does not require fracking, the controversial process in which gas is forced out of shale rock by injecting water and chemicals under pressure.

Instead, gas is extracted using an on-site generator.

The parish council raised concerns about the loss of agricultural land, a lack of a traffic management plan and Cuadrilla's failure to restore its former fracking site at Preston New Road in Fylde.

Speaking ahead of the county council's development control committee voting on Cuadrilla's application for Elswick, Fylde East Councillor Josh Roberts said: "The economic value of this site is clearly diminished after over three decades of operation.

"There's been little to no meaningful output in recent years, in fact the production in 2024 was so minimal it barely registered against national figures."

Cuadrilla was not represented at the meeting.

But in its application to the county council it said the facility would "continue to provide a small generation contribution consistent with the size and scale of the site".

The BBC has approached Cuadrilla for comment following the council's vote.

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