HU11 5DA, Rathlin Energy – West Newton ‘A’ well site information page

Overview

Regulation of Rathlin Energy’s West Newton ‘A’ well site

Rathlin Energy (UK) Ltd holds an environmental permit for the management of mining wastes, storage of crude oil, and flaring of waste gas from the drilling and testing of wells at its West Newton ‘A’ well site, Fosham Road, East Yorkshire, HU11 5DA. This was issued in April 2014 and varied in August 2019, April 2020 and August 2023.

The permit, varied in August 2023, to drill additional oil and gas wells and carry out commercial production, can be viewed here.

The permit sets out legally binding conditions for operation covering emissions, safe storage of waste and crude oil, and flaring of gas. The permit also includes monitoring and reporting requirements.

Environmental Permit Variation (November 2024)

We have received an application from Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited, to vary the environmental permit for West Newton A well site.

We've produced the information below about the changes that have been applied for at the West Newton A well site. We hope you will find this clear and easy to read. Our aim is to help people understand this technical information and participate in the consultation.

In producing this summary, we have left out some technical jargon and detailed descriptions. Full details of the proposals, including all technical information, are provided in the application documents, which can be found on our consultation web page, here.

Background information

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited holds an environmental permit - EPR/BB3001FT (the ‘permit’) - in relation to the West Newton A well site.  There are currently two oil and gas wells at the site: ‘WNA-1’ and ‘WNA-2’.

Figure 1 - Location of West Newton A well site

Several activities are already permitted at this site. This includes the drilling of ‘side-track wells’ from WNA-1 and WNA-2, and drilling of up to six new additional wells. A side-track well is another path, which is drilled from the first well. This creates a new track to explore the reservoir without drilling a new well from the surface.

Well clean up (a process used to remove debris, drilling fluids, and other materials from a well after drilling) and testing activities; hydrocarbon production; use of gas for electricity generation; flaring of gas; storage of crude oil; well plugging and decommissioning (permanently sealing the well) are also controlled by the permit.

Permit variation application (Ref: EPR/BB3001FT/V006)

The operator has applied to carry out ‘reservoir stimulation’ on the existing WNA-2 well, which is a process used by the oil and gas industry, designed to improve the efficiency of the flow of oil or gas through the reservoir rock and into the well.

The geological formation (the body of rock) in which the reservoir stimulation is proposed to take place is known as the Kirkham Abbey Formation (KAF). It’s located at a depth of approximately 1710m below the ground surface.

The operator proposes to inject 60 to 70 cubic metres of oil-based fluid, with 12.5 tonnes of sand proppant into the rock formation, in a single stage. This will be done at a pressure of up to 9,000 psi, exceeding the fracture pressure of the rock. After that, the fluid will be brought back to the surface in a controlled way.

The sand proppant is included to ‘prop’ open the channels that are created (refer to Technical Addendum: West Newton A Wellsite. WNA-2 reservoir stimulation HRA document 3490933 for further information on the proposed well stimulation and the fluid to be used).

Figure 2 - Hydrogeological concept model West Newton A well site

Figure 3 - Proposed reservoir stimulation WNA-2 well

The reservoir stimulation would need to be authorised as a groundwater activity under schedule 22, 8(I) of the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016.

The reservoir stimulation would leave some sand proppant and fluid in the ground, which will become extractive waste at the end of the period that the well is operating. Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited has applied to change their permit to include a 'mining waste facility' to allow this. Changes are also proposed to the location of the already permitted crude oil storage facility (refer to non-technical summary document RE-EPRA-WNA-NTS-003).

The application is not for high volume hydraulic fracturing.

The Infrastructure Act 2015 defines hydraulic fracturing as involving the injection of more than 1,000 cubic metres of fluid in any one stage, or more than 10,000 cubic metres of fluid in total. The proposal from Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited is below these thresholds.

The proposed reservoir stimulation is similar to hydraulic fracturing in that it involves injection of fluid into the rock (geological formation) at a pressure above the fracture pressure of the formation. However, it is not regarded as hydraulic fracturing due to the smaller quantity of fluid involved.

In England, reservoir stimulation is allowed because it involves much lower volumes of fluid compared to high volume hydraulic fracturing.

The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 provide a framework for regulating activities that could impact the environment, including reservoir stimulation. These regulations require operators to obtain an environmental permit for activities that involve the management of extractive waste, such as the fluids and proppants used in reservoir stimulation.

We will always complete a detailed and thorough assessment of any environmental permit application on a site-specific basis before deciding whether the activity is acceptable or not, and whether an environmental permit can be granted. We ensure environmental safety and compliance with regulations.

Risk assessment

The application submitted by Rathlin Energy (UK) includes a hydrogeological risk assessment. This details the potential impact on groundwater (water that is stored underground in the spaces between rocks, soil, and sand) from the proposed reservoir stimulation (refer to Technical Addendum: West Newton A Wellsite. WNA-2 reservoir stimulation HRA document 3490933).  

An assessment of the risks of emissions to air, odour, noise and vibration, discharges to ground and surface waters, fugitive emissions, accidents, visible plumes, and global warming potential has also been submitted (refer to Environmental Risk Assessment document RE-EPRA-WNA-ERA-007).

All permit application documents are available to view on the Environment Agency consultation web page here.

The role of the Environment Agency

The Environment Agency is the environmental regulator for onshore oil and gas operations in England, and we ensure that oil and gas operations are carried out in a way that protects people and the environment. We will only issue a permit variation if we believe that harm to the environment, people and wildlife will be minimised and that the operator has the ability to meet the conditions of the permit. 

Consultation

We are seeking comments relevant to this environmental permit application.

We want to make the best decision when permitting. Listening to the views of others helps us to take account of concerns, or local environmental factors, that we may not be otherwise aware of.

The consultation, and more detailed information about this application, can be found here:

HU11 5DA, Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited, EPR/BB3001FT/V006: environmental permit consultation - Environment Agency - Citizen Space

The consultation is open until 24th January 2025.

As part of our consultation, we can consider the following comments and information:

We can take account of

• Relevant environmental regulatory requirements and technical standards.
• Information on local population and sensitive sites.
• Comments on whether the right process is being used for the activity, for example whether the technology is the right one.
• The shape and use of the land around the site in terms of its potential impact, whether that impact is acceptable and what pollution control or abatement may be required.
• The impact of noise and odour from traffic on site.
• Permit conditions by providing information that we have not been made aware of in the application, or by correcting incorrect information in the application (e.g. monitoring and techniques to control pollution).

We cannot take account of

• Issues beyond those in the relevant environmental regulations.
• Anything outside the remit of the EPR, e.g. the proposed location of the site, which is done by the local authority via land use planning.
• Whether a site should have a formal designation under Habitats Directive or other conservation legislation.
• Whether the activity should be allowed or not as a matter of principle.
• Land use issues when determining a permit application, even if changing the location of the activity would improve its environmental performance.
• The impact of noise and odour from traffic travelling to and from the site.
• The legally defined process we follow to determine a permit.
• The granting of a permit/variation if the operator is able to demonstrate that they can carry out the activity without significant risk to the environment or human health.

Engagement event

We are holding a public engagement event in January 2025 to discuss what the consultation is for and how to take part.

When?
12-4pm on Thursday 9th January 2025

Where?
Sproatley Village Hall, Sproatley Road, Sproatley, Hull, HU11 4GA
 

Useful documents 

A number of documents that you may find useful can be found below in 'related documents'.

 

 

We will update this web page when we have new information, so please keep checking back. We hope that this is helpful in making information easier for you to access.