Fracking firm's county spend hits £13m

Cuadrilla's fracking equipment at Preston New Road

The firm, which this week lost its appeal to open up a second fracking site on the Fylde coast at Roseacre, said the spend came when the first hydraulic fracturing into shale rock took place in the UK for seven years at its Preston New Road site near Little Plumpton.

Data from Cuadrilla’s latest Putting Lancashire First tracker revealed that direct spend with suppliers in the county soared to £1.8m during the three months to 31 December.

The amount of money suppliers sub-contracted to other businesses in Lancashire stood at £188,000.

Jill Overland, finance and business services director at Cuadrilla, said: “The final quarter of last year was a landmark few months for shale gas exploration in the UK, with the first hydraulic fracturing taking place in horizontal shale wells at our Preston New Road site.

“During this period we remained true to our Putting Lancashire First commitment with our local spend standing at nearly £2m. This local investment during our exploration phase is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the benefits the industry could deliver for the county.”

Since the tracker was launched in 2016, Cuadrilla and its Lancashire suppliers have invested more than £13m into the local economy and some 765 local businesses have registered their interest to supply the county’s nascent shale gas industry via the Supply Chain Portal hosted by two local Chambers of Commerce.

Babs Murphy, chief executive at the North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, said: “We’re pleased to see that Cuadrilla is investing significantly into the local economy and that Lancashire businesses should benefit from first-mover advantage as the industry develops.

“It is also encouraging to see that more and more companies are registering via the Shale Gas Supply Chain Portal to provide their services.”

Miranda Barker, CEO of East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, said: “The continued investment by Cuadrilla with the local supply chain, which now stands at over £13m, is an indication of what could come from this nascent industry.”