Written Question·Department for Energy Security and Net Zero·UIN 39384

Natural Gas: Imports

Tabled: 19 March 2025
Answered: 24 March 2025
Named Day

Question

Sir Julian Lewis

ConservativeNew Forest East

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2025 to Question 37979 on Natural Gas: Imports, what the minimum safety criteria are with which a shale gas company must comply when plugging an unused well

Answer

Michael Shanks
The Heath and Safety Executive and the North Sea Transition Authority are the relevant regulators for onshore shale gas extraction. They regulate compliance with the criteria set for plugging and abandoning wells at the end of their useful life.