Difference between revisions of "Cuadrilla Resources"
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==History of fracking== | ==History of fracking== | ||
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In November 2011, a damning report commissioned by [[Cuadrilla]] revealed the company's own fracking operations at Banks, near Merseyside, were the 'probable' cause of 50 separate earthquake tremors in the Blackpool area from earlier in the year. | In November 2011, a damning report commissioned by [[Cuadrilla]] revealed the company's own fracking operations at Banks, near Merseyside, were the 'probable' cause of 50 separate earthquake tremors in the Blackpool area from earlier in the year. | ||
Revision as of 15:49, 25 January 2017
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This article is part of the Spinwatch Fracking Portal and project |
Cuadrilla Resources is an energy company set up in 2007 and based in Lancashire. It has pioneered the shale gas industry's efforts to kick-start fracking across the UK, employing a raft of heavyweight lobbyists and enjoying easy access to government ministers.
Contents
Background
Cuadrilla is a UK-registered company privately owned by its management team and two investors, the Australian drilling and engineering company AJ Lucas (43%) and former BP CEO John Browne's Riverstone LLC. It is backed by British Gas.
The firm employs 'some 70 staff in the UK both directly employed and through contractors, mostly based at the well sites. The main contracting partner in the UK is PR Marriott Drilling Ltd based in Chesterfield, which has over 60 years of drilling experience in Britain'. [1]
History of fracking
'Earth tremors' in Blackpool
In November 2011, a damning report commissioned by Cuadrilla revealed the company's own fracking operations at Banks, near Merseyside, were the 'probable' cause of 50 separate earthquake tremors in the Blackpool area from earlier in the year.
The announcement proved very controversial for the fracking industry as a whole, forcing the company to stop its activities site while the government reviewed the implications of the report. Anti-fracking campaigners reacted in protest. [2]
Censure by the Advertising Standards Authority
In 2012 lobbyists PPS produced a brochure for Cuadrilla, titled "Summer 2012 Exploring For Natural Gas Cuadrilla Resources is exploring for natural gas in Lancashire" which the Advertising Standards Authority found contained claims that partially breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 3.1 and 3.3 (Misleading advertising) and 3.11 (Exaggeration). [3]
This was despite PPS' proclaimed communication strategy that since 2011 'has focused on making Cuadrilla and its operations as transparent as possible so that the government, media and opinion-formers could gain trust in the company’s corporate governance and technology'.
Successful appeal against Lancashire council refusal
In July 2013 Cuadrilla announced it would apply for planning consent to start fracking on new sites in the Fylde area of Lancashire. [4] In May and June 2014 it submitted applications to frack at sites Preston New Road near Blackpool in the Northwest and at nearby Roseacre Wood.
A year later, in June 2015, Cuadrilla's plans were rejected by members of Lancashire County Council's development control committee. The company appealed. Conservative ministers subsequently gave themselves new powers in late 2015 to override local councils' planning decisions. On October 2016, the new communities and planning secretary Sajid Javid ruled to uphold the appeal, paving the way for shale gas production at Preston New Road next year.
Financial losses
In the year to December 2015 Cuadrilla posted a loss of £17.67 million.
Constituencies including Cuadrilla licences
Cuadrilla was awarded eight shale licences across 18 licence blocks by the Oil and Gas Authority under the 14th licensing round in 2015. The constituencies covering these licensed areas include:
- Barnsley East – Michael Dugher, MP
- Beverley and Holderness – Graham Stuart
- Don Valley – Caroline Flint, MP (Labour)
- Doncaster Central – Rosie Winterton
- Doncaster North – Ed Miliband
- Wentworth and Dearne – John Healey
- East Yorkshire – Greg Knight
- Fylde – Mark Menzies
- Haltemprice and Howden – David Davis
- Scarborough and Whitby – Robert Goodwill
- Selby and Ainsty – Nigel Adams
- York Outer – Julian Sturdy
- Thirsk and Malton – Kevin Hollinrake, MP (Conservative)
People
Management team
- Francis Egan - chief executive
- Matt Lambert - director of government and public affairs since 2013 to present. Has previously worked for Betfair, Microsoft, lobbyists Grayling and was a speechwriter and researcher for Liberal Democrats in the 1980s [5]
- Andrew Quarles Van Ufford
- Andrew Price
- Eric Vaughan - CEO, previously chief technology Officer (circa 2012), 'head of well development' 2015
- Leon Jennings - health, safety and environment director Cuadrilla
- Ken Lowe - Water management (circa 2012)
- Huw Clarke - Exploration geologist, joined Cuadrilla in 2009. Senior well site geologist for Cuadrilla’s Bowland shale operations and conducted the geological operations for the Preese Hall 1 shale gas discovery well. Speaker at the March 2014 Shale Gas conference in London. [6]
- Jacqui Reid, communications and public affairs manager at Cuadrilla Resources Ltd
- Sam Schofield, Lancashire communications and public affairs manager
Former executives
- Tony Carruthers - commercial director Cuadrilla Resources for 3.5 years from April 2012 – September 2015. Before that was commercial manager East Africa for Tullow Oil from September 2010 – March 2012. Now a director of Forty Green Energy Ltd.[7]
Directors of the Board
- Mark Miller - Director, Cuadrilla Resources; Director and VP of Cuadrilla Resource Holdings. From the USA, he founded and ran Eastern Reservoir Service until 2005.
- Dennis Carlton - Director, Cuadrilla Resources; Director, Cuadrilla Resource Holdings. From the USA, he founded and ran Evergreen Resources until 2004. He led the successful development of coal bed methane in Colorado; his exploits appear in Gasland
- Peter Turner Director, Cuadrilla Resources, also manages its exploration activities in mainland Europe. Turner is a former academic who headed the Petroleum Geosciences Unit at the University of Birmingham. He holds a B.Sc, a PhD and an honory D.Sc in Geology and has written over 150 publications and books. Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and the Americas.
Cuadrilla Resource Holdings non-executive directors
- Anthony Carruthers (appointed 19 April 2012)
- Francis Egan (appointed 17 July 2012)
- Roy Franklin (appointed 7 February 2012
- Neville Lancaster Jr
- Haroun Van Hovell Tot Westerflier - a managing director of Riverstone Holdings
- Roy Franklin
- Philip Arnall (appointed 3 February 2014)
- Ivor Orchard (appointed 3 February 2014)
- Andrew Quarles Van Ufford (appointed May 2013) [8]
- 25/05/2011 New Company Secretary Mr A.C. Price appointed
Former directors
- John Browne - former Cuadrilla chairman, and managing partner of Riverstone Holdings, the venture capital firm that backs it
- Allan Campbell (left the board 5 February 2014) | Anthony Kelly (left 5 February 2014) | Mark Miller (left 29 April 2013) | Dennis Carlton (27 February 2013)
- 07/02/2012 Mr M.P. Tonkin left the board
- ALDLEX LIMITED resigned as Company Secretary 24 December 2012
Lobbying firms and consultants
2012-2016
- Bell Pottinger Public Affairs - Mark Linder [9]. However BPPA appears to have lost the account after February 2014.
- PPS - the planning lobbyist specialists have retained Cuadrilla as a client since 2011 [10] when it managed the firm's website and produced a brochure for Cuadrilla, titled "Summer 2012 Exploring For Natural Gas Cuadrilla Resources is exploring for natural gas in Lancashire" that the ASA later ruled was partially misleading.
- Hanover Communications from March 2014 onwards. [11]. Hanover's Charles Lewington was spotted socialising in February 2014 with the climate sceptic Tory environment secretary Owen Paterson and former energy minister Charles Hendry at the Intercontinental Hotel bar in Park Lane, London[12]
- Lexington Communications has provided UK PA consultancy services to Cuadrilla since September 2015[13] (it has had Igas Energy as a client for several years prior). It handles Cuadrilla's 'community information line'.
- Portland Communications from 2015
- Westbourne Communications has provided UK PA consultancy services to Cuadrilla Bowland from December 2013-[14]
Consultants
- Paul Kelly - communications consultant and director of PPS Group
Former
- Nick Sutcliffe - communications consultant and director of PPS Group. Sutcliffe is also politician for Guildford District Council (Conservative Councillor for Ash South & Tongham Ward).
Law firms
Peachy & Co LLP was appointed to act for Cuadrilla in the UK from July 2008, as the firm has no in-house legal resource in the UK. This role has involved acting for the oil and gas firm:
- in February 2010 on a group restructuring and a $58m capital investment led by Riverstone/Carlyle Global Energy and Power Funds managed by Riverstone Holdings LLC and AJ Lucas Group Ltd, a company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.
- in December 2011 on Cuadrilla's acquisition of a significant equity participation in a Hungarian O&G project, including successfully fracking a test well. Peachey's website reported that 'Further equity interests will be acquired following further seismic work and the drilling of a further exploratory well during 2012'.
- in October 2012 with negotiations with the UK Government to recommence its hydraulic fracking operations in the UK.
In June 2013 Peachey & Co acted for the Australian stock exchange quoted company A J Lucas Group Ltd in the sale of part of its interest in the Bowland shale gas exploration licence area to Centrica plc. A J Lucas is a major shareholder in Cuadrilla Resources which is the co-owner on the licence.
In March 2013 The Lawyer magazine reported that former Slaughter and May lawyer Hubert Ashton, now a partner at Peachey, admitted that the past few months of exploratory digging, questions in the House and earthquakes have been “interesting”. [15]
Auditors and bankers
Affiliations
- All-Party Parliamentary Group on Unconventional Oil and Gas which received £3000 from Cuadrilla, registered June 2013 [16] and a further £1,916 from Cuadrilla in November 2015
- Institute of Directors (IOD) - Cuadrilla sponsored a publication by IOD on the prospects for UK shale gas, published in May 2013
- Shale Gas Europe - Cuadrilla is listed as a supporter of this trade lobby group, which is run by lobbyists FTI Consulting
- Task Force on Shale Gas (UK) - listed as a funder of this 'independent' group, whose secretariat is lobbying and PR company Edelman
Contact details
- Website
- Address:
- Cuadrilla Resources Ltd
- Cuadrilla House, Unit 6 Sceptre Court
- Sceptre Way, Bamber Bridge
- Preston
- PR5 6AW
Resources
See: Fracking lobbying firms See: Fracking Spads
Articles
- Andy Rowell, Emails reveal Glasgow University academics' close links to fracking industry, Spinwatch, 24 August 2016
- Melissa Jones and Andy Rowell, Access all areas: Westminster's (vast) fracking lobby exposed, 29 April 2015.
- James Cusick, How lobbying works – and why this Bill won’t change a fracking thing, The Independent, 18 August 2013
- Robin McKie, Will fracking in Lancashire's green hills solve Britain's energy crisis?, The Observer, Sunday 7 July 2013
- Terry McCallister, Cuadrilla announces major fracking expansion in UK, The Guardian, Friday 5 July 2013 18.14 BST
- Fiona Harvey, Lord Browne promises to invest 'whatever it takes' in UK fracking, guardian.co.uk, 12 March 2013 15.00 GMT
Videos
- Meet the Frackers: a Spinwatch lobbying tour, Spinwatch | YouTube, 16 January 2017.
- We will stick to fracking plan, says Cuadrilla boss, Channel4 News, YouTube
- Cuadrilla YouTube channel, YouTube - cuadrillaresources
- Cuadrilla resources- an introduction, YouTube - cuadrillaresources, 25 April 2013
- Cuadrilla environmental impact assessment, YouTube - cuadrillaresources, 30 July 2014
- Public information series:
- Hydraulic fracturing, YouTube - cuadrillaresources, 12 February 2014
- Site lifecycle animation, YouTube - cuadrillaresources, 21 November 2013
- Our new sites, YouTube - cuadrillaresources, 13 February 2014
- Well design, YouTube - cuadrillaresources, 12 February 2:014
- Surface story, YouTube - cuadrillaresources, 25 November 2013
Notes
- ↑ LinkedIn | Cuadrilla Resources, LinkedIn, accessed 25 January 2017.
- ↑ Tom Bawden, Exclusive: Fracking company - we caused 50 tremors in Blackpool – but we're not going to stop, Independent, 3 November 2011, accessed 12 October 2016.
- ↑ Advertising Standards Authority, ASA Adjudication on Cuadrilla Resources Ltd, Rulings, 24 April 2013, acc 27 March 2014
- ↑ Terry McCallister, Cuadrilla announces major fracking expansion in UK, The Guardian, Friday 5 July 2013 18.14 BST
- ↑ Matt Lambert, LinkedIn, accessed 9 February 2016
- ↑ Huw Clarke, Shale UK 2014, accessed 4 September 2014
- ↑ Tony Carruthers, LinkedIn profile, accessed 9 Feb 2016
- ↑ CUADRILLA RESOURCES HOLDINGS LIMITED 07147040, Companycheck, acc 27 March 2014
- ↑ Tom Bawden, Cuadrilla PR man admits George Osborne's shale gas revolution won’t cut energy bills, 20 August 2013
- ↑ APPC Register Entry for 1 Dec 2011 to 29 Feb 2012
- ↑ Register for 1st March 2014 - 31st May 2014
- ↑ Lobbyists are unconvincing over the minister for fracking, Socialist Worker, The Troublemaker, 4 Feb 2014, acc 24 June 2014
- ↑ Register 1st September 2014 - 30th November 2014 APPC, accessed 23 February 2015
- ↑ Register 1st September 2014 - 30th November 2014 APPC, accessed 23 February 2015
- ↑ Matt Byrne, Analysis on Bracewell & Giuliani and the shale gas market: The fracking truth, The Lawyer, 4 March 2013
- ↑ Register of All-Party Groups (As at 7 June 2013), parliament.co.uk
