RECENT NEWS

Recent News

24th September 2024

Rathlin Energy (UK) Ltd submits Environment Agency application to conduct a reservoir stimulation

In July this year, Rathlin Energy (UK) Ltd made an application to the Environment Agency to conduct a reservoir stimulation within the conventional Kirkham Abbey gas reservoir in the existing West Newton A-2 well.

West Newton is a significant domestic gas development opportunity for the UK which will provide economic and environmental benefits, compared to imports on which the UK is becoming increasingly reliant.

The reservoir stimulation involves squeezing a small volume of oil-based fluid into the formation to bypass any reservoir damage created during drilling, or by other fluids previously used during well testing, and then using proppant to keep the pathways open to allow gas and hydrocarbon fluids to flow into the well at economic rates.

The application has now been ‘duly made’ and the Environment Agency will review the detailed information submitted by Rathlin.

A similar operation, referred to as a proppant squeeze, was successfully conducted in 2021 in Lincolnshire which resulted in a significant increase in production from the existing well.

The proposed operation at West Newton is a smaller scale operation and will take less than an hour to complete. Equipment needed will be similar to that previously used on the site during testing operations.

If the Environment Agency deems it appropriate to issue a permit for the operation, Rathlin understands that the Environment Agency will consult the public on the information submitted prior to issuing any permit.

Consent is required from the NSTA to conduct the reservoir stimulation. The NSTA will check that permissions from other relevant regulatory authorities are in place, including appropriate environmental permits and planning permission as well as the HSE being notified of the proposed operation.

The timeline for the proposed operation will be determined as soon as all necessary regulatory consents are in place.

Oil and gas production in the UK is in decline. Projections show a continued fall in production through to 2050.

More imports will be required to meet UK demand. In the case of gas, emissions associated with the production and transport of LNG to the UK are up to four times higher than domestically produced gas.

The UK has significant natural resources – up to 5 billion barrels of oil and gas, a 60GW target for offshore wind, up to 78GT of carbon storage potential.

It has the pipeline, processing and energy infrastructure along with a world class energy supply chain and world class people that bring it all together.

The West Newton domestic gas development opportunity will form part of the transition to a low carbon domestic energy sector.

20th September 2023

UK still heavily reliant on hydrocarbons and imports – UK Government

The 2023 Annual Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (DUKES) figures recently released by the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero show that the UK still has continuing dependence on hydrocarbons and imported energy.

The analysis indicated that whilst overall energy demand was stable last year, transport demand continued to recover (up 15 per cent), but was still lower than pre-pandemic levels due to reduced demand for air travel. Household and industrial usage fell as a result of record temperatures in the summer of 2022, with higher energy and other general prices causing consumers to cut back on energy usage. The fall in household demand was most notable in the final quarter of 2022 with prices rises due to the effects of the war in Ukraine when cooler weather would normally begin to increase demand.

Demand for energy in the UK – 1990 – 2022

Source: DUKES 2023 Edition

Overall, energy demand is still dominated by petroleum and natural gas.

Net import dependency – 1970 to 2022 (DUKES table 1.1.3)

Source: DUKES 2023 Edition

Energy imports increased by 11 per cent over the year, with gas imports at a record high level. Exports also increased by nearly a quarter (24 per cent) with gas and electricity exports at record high levels, and the UK became a net exporter of electricity for the first time in over 40 years.

Disruption to global gas supply following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine saw substantial shifts in UK trade patterns. Imports also reached a record high, up 10 per cent, driven by a significant increase in imports of LNG, up 74 per cent in the same period.

The UK has the second largest LNG regasification infrastructure in Europe (after Spain); this was utilised to support European efforts to move away from Russian gas as the UK operated as a land bridge using interconnectors for exports to Belgium and the Netherlands, resulting in higher import and export figures for gas.

The UK’s net import dependency stood at 37.3 per cent in 2022.

Imports of natural gas – 2010-2022 (DUKES table 4.5)

Source: DUKES 2023 Edition

The bulk of the UK’s energy imports (over 90 per cent) are oil and gas and Norway is the UK’s primary supplier of energy imports. The largest share of oil imports arrives from the US, whilst Norway provides the largest share of gas imports. Russian imports of oil and gas reduced significantly in 2022 and ceased by the end of the year and accounting for 2.6 per cent of total imports (down from 9.6 per cent in 2021).

Inland energy consumption – 1990 and 2022

Source: UK Energy in Brief / DUKES 2023 Edition

Consumption of coal has declined over the last 30 years, from more than 30 per cent to just 3 per cent. This decline in coal has been offset by reduced overall energy demand and an increased reliance on natural gas, renewables, bioenergy and waste.

Oil and natural gas, however, still make up over three quarters of the UK’s energy consumption.

Oil Consumption in the UK 2022 (DUKES table 3.2)

Source: DUKES 2023 Edition

Transport remains the primary use for petroleum products in the UK. Although transportation demand in 2022 still remains 14 percent below pre-pandemic levels, it increased by 15 per cent compared to the previous year. Aviation fuel demand, whilst still 21% per cent below 2019 levels, almost doubled in 2022. Petrol and diesel consumption in 2022 were broadly the same as 2019 averages.

Sectoral consumption of natural gas 1970-2022 (DUKES table 4.1.1)

Source: DUKES 2023 Edition

Natural gas made up 39 per cent of total energy demand and close to two thirds of domestic demand in 2022. Natural gas continues to play a very substantial role in the UK energy mix for electrical generation and domestic purposes and is likely to do so for the foreseeable future.

Electricity Generation

Total electricity generated rose by 5.3 per cent between 2021 and 2022,

The mix of fuels used to generate electricity continues to evolve. Since 1990, the decline of coal, has been offset by the rise of gas, and in more recent years renewables.

Share of electricity generation by fuel 2015-2022 (DUKES table 5.6)

Source: DUKES 2023 Edition

Around 44 per cent of our electricity is currently generated from hydrocarbons.

Security of energy supply whilst following the pathway to net zero will require changes in the overall energy supply mix as well as changes in patterns of consumption. Domestically produced petroleum and natural gas will continue to play an important role in achieving these objectives.

The Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (DUKES) is the annual energy statistics publication produced by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. It provides a detailed and comprehensive picture on the production and consumption of individual fuels and of energy as a whole.

29th August 2023

WEST NEWTON COMMUNITY LIAISON COMMITTEE UPDATE

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited is pleased to provide the following update about the company’s ongoing activities.

Regulatory update

On 23 August 2023, the Environment Agency (EA) issued the variation of the permit for the West Newton A wellsite which was applied for in July 2021. The variation of the West Newton A permit provides for the production of hydrocarbons as well as the drilling of the six additional boreholes and includes the use of oil-based mud within the Permian age formations at the West Newton A site.

A minor variation to the West Newton B permit, to provide for the use of oil-based muds within the Permian formations, is currently being reviewed by the EA.

OPERATIONS UPDATE

Plans for the proposed horizontal well from the West Newton B site are underway.

Well path selection and the engineered well design have been completed. Wellbore casing has been purchased and Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited has approached drilling rig and other key rig service contractors to determine their availability.

Commencement of operations are targeted for first half of 2024 subject to approval of the pending Environment Agency permit for West Newton B and rig availability.

FIELD DEVELOPMENT

The 2022 Annual Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (DUKES) figures recently released by the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero show that the UK still has continuing dependence on hydrocarbons and imported energy.

Natural gas made up 38 per cent of total energy demand* and close to two thirds of domestic (household) demand* in 2022. Natural gas continues to play a very substantial role in the UK energy mix for electrical generation and domestic purposes.

Domestically produced natural gas is, and will remain, a much-needed part of the energy mix as the UK seeks to reduce its reliance on foreign gas, whether delivered by pipeline or as LNG in oceangoing tankers.

The North Sea Transition Authority indicates that domestic UK gas production has less than a quarter of the Emission Intensity of imported LNG*. This is particularly important, as the UK seeks to reach its Net Zero 2050 targets.

The West Newton discovery, along with the other prospects Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited has identified in PEDL 183, have the potential to provide up to 1 TCF of domestically produced natural gas within the immediate Humber area. The gas from the West Newton field could potentially provide locally sourced feedstock for the blue hydrogen developments being planned within the Humber Estuary.

The anticipated recoverable gas resource at West Newton will have the potential to meet the daily gas demands of over 380,000 homes in the UK for many years to come – based on OFGEM data indicating that an average three-bedroom UK home consumes 7.9 Kwh/day of electricity and 32.9 Kwh/day of natural gas*.

* Latest update (18 August 2023)
* NST Authority article – North Sea Gas is almost four times cleaner than LNG imports
* Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES)

18th August 2023

UK gas “four times cleaner” than imported gas.

A report by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) indicates that domestically produced gas is on average almost four times cleaner than importing gas in LNG form. This is because of the way the gas is transported and, in some cases, the methods of extraction.

In particular, the analysis shows that gas extracted from the UK Continental Shelf has an average emission intensity of 21 kgCO₂e/boe (kilograms of CO₂ equivalent per barrel of oil equivalent), whereas imported LNG has a significantly higher average intensity of 79 kgCO₂e/boe.

Norway has the lowest carbon intensity of all LNG imports at 33 kgCO₂/boe, and Peru the highest at 90, with the average coming to 79, while UK gas has a carbon intensity of only 21 kgCO₂/boe.

The process of liquefaction, combined with the emissions produced by the transportation and regasification of the LNG once in the UK, are responsible for the considerably higher emissions intensity.

At 21 kgCO₂/boe, the average carbon intensity of UK gas production is lower than the average carbon intensity of all sources of natural gas imported to the UK (except pipeline imports from Norway). The average carbon intensity of imported Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is almost four times the carbon intensity of UK production.

In 2022, gas imports to the UK accounted for 63 per cent of its natural gas supply. The UK helped to meet the surge in European LNG demand by increasing its LNG imports (by 74 per cent) and then exporting the surplus supply to Europe through pipelines (240 per cent increase from 2021).

The UK produced 38 per cent of its own gas supply [in 2022], a total of 206mmboe (million barrels of oil equivalent). Yet that 38 per cent was responsible for only 24 per cent of total emissions associated with gas supply, whereas LNG from the United States was responsible for 35 per cent of the emissions, despite being only 14 per cent of the supply.

Oil and gas currently contribute around 75 per cent of domestic energy needs and official forecasts show that, even as demand is reduced, they will continue to play an important role whilst the country transitions to net zero.

For more information, please visit the NSTA website here

28TH April 2023

West Newton Community Liaison Committee Update

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited is pleased to provide the following update about the company’s ongoing activities.

Regulatory Update

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited currently has approval from the East Riding of Yorkshire Council for the drilling of a further well at the West Newton B wellsite as well as the expansion, drilling of four additional wells and the production of petroleum at the West Newton A wellsite.

Conditions associated with the planning permission are currently being prepared to be discharged which include biodiversity and wildlife enhancement plans.

Operations are currently on hold awaiting the issue of Environment Agency Permits for both sites.

A variation of the West Newton A permit was submitted in July 2021 to include for the production of hydrocarbons as well as the drilling of the four additional boreholes including the use of oil-based mud within the Permian Age formations. Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited has received and responded to Schedule 5 requests for additional information and the draft Permit will be opened to a further round of public consultation after the pre-election period to 05 May 2023. The permit is expected to be issued shortly after this.

A minor variation has been applied for to include oil-based muds to drill the Permian age formations at the West Newton B site. This is instead of a Standard Rules Permit, but includes for the same risk assessment for oil-based muds as that permit, and should not require any public consultation.

Operations Update

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited and partners have agreed that the next well to be drilled will be a horizontal well from the West Newton B site. Commencement of operations are targeted for quarter four of 2023 and are subject to receipt of the pending Environment Agency permit approval and rig availability.

Routine wellhead maintenance was conducted on all wells late last year and regular site checks and maintenance will be ongoing until further works are planned.

Other news

Given the scope of the potential West Newton development, including other opportunities in PEDL 183, and consistent with prudent risk management, Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited has decided to pursue additional strategic industry partnerships for the upcoming drilling programme and subsequent development at West Newton

The landowner at West Newton A has now completed the installation of trees in the field to the north of the wellsite. The trees have been planted allowing a gap between the hedge and the treeline for maintenance and include a mix of fast-growing evergreens and slower maturing hardwoods. The plan is that the trees will grow to create a visual and sound barrier from works at the site and that the land may be opened as a permissive right of way during operations where HGVs will use Fosham Road to access the site.

23rd September 2022

West Newton Community Liaison Update

The Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited (Rathlin) team met with members of the West Newton Community Liaison Group (“CLG”) on the West Newton B (“WNB”) site to allow the CLG members to see the site and talk through the company’s work.

Engineering Update:
Over the last number of months, data collected during the course of drilling the West Newton wells, which includes core samples, oil and gas samples, wireline logs and well test data, have been analysed by third party labs (CoreLab, Applied Petroleum Technology (“APT”)) and an engineering firm (RPS). The results from these analyses, in conjunction with internal evaluations, have been very helpful in informing Rathlin’s upcoming programme of work.

Lab analyses have determined that the formation is very sensitive to aqueous fluids and that previous drilling of the West Newton wells with water-based mud has created near wellbore damage in the Kirkham Abbey reservoir, through the creation of very fine rock fragments while drilling, that potentially plug up the natural porosity and permeability of the reservoir and have a detrimental effect on its ability to flow. Further analyses have determined that the use of dilute water-based acids during well testing will also have adversely affected the flow characteristics of the Kirkham Abbey reservoir.

These same tests demonstrate that by drilling the Kirkham Abbey reservoir with an oil-based drilling fluid, damage to the oil and gas reservoir can be minimised.

To that end, Rathlin has made applications to the Environment Agency (“EA”) for use of oil-based drilling fluids within the oil and gas bearing Permian section, for both the West Newton A (“WNA”) and B sites. Oil-based drilling fluids are included in the Standard Rules permit, which has been applied for at WNB, whereas the current variation to the WNA permit has been adapted to include oil-based muds in the same manner as in the standard rules permit. Determination of these permits is pending.

Analyses by APT labs of numerous oil and gas samples recovered from the West Newton wells during testing to date, along with evaluation of mud gases measured during drilling utilising a proprietary software package, indicates that the Kirkham Abbey reservoir contains gas (primarily methane 90% + ethane 5%) with associated light oil (condensate).

The significance of this finding is that the requirement for trucking of oil during production may be greatly reduced.

Following on from the lab analyses, Rathlin engaged engineering consultants (RPS) to undertake a detailed reservoir and completion programme study based on the CoreLab and APT lab results.

RPS determined that by drilling with an oil-based mud system and extending the length of reservoir section penetrated by a well, the productive capability of each well will be enhanced.

RPS has modelled wells extending up to 1,500 metres horizontally through the Kirkham Abbey reservoir. The modelled horizontal wells will also have a much greater likelihood of encountering significant sections of the reservoir with open natural fractures which will also enhance the productive capability of the Kirkham Abbey reservoir.

Work Programme:
Rathlin and our partners’ technical teams are currently working to determine the optimum orientation for a horizontal well, which may be drilled from either the A or B site.

Given the challenges with the global supply chain, long lead items such as steel casing for a horizontal well has already been ordered. The availability of drilling rigs capable of drilling a 1,500 metre horizontal well is also being determined.

Field Development:
The significance of the lab and engineering findings has important benefits in terms of the West Newton field development.

From a local resident perspective, a development with more gas production and less oil production will significantly reduce the volume of truck traffic associated with production and allow for the installation of a pipeline to deliver natural gas directly to the National Grid.

The North Sea Transition Authority indicates that domestic UK gas production has less than ½ of the Emission Intensity of imported LNG. This is particularly important, as the UK seeks to reach its Net Zero 2050 targets.

Commercial production from West Newton could start as early as 2026 provided regulatory approvals are expedited and supply chain delays can be managed.

The anticipated recoverable gas resource at West Newton will have the potential to meet the daily gas demands of over 380,000 homes in the UK for many years to come. Based on OFGEM data indicating that an average three-bedroom UK home consumes 7.9 Kwh/day of electricity and 32.9 Kwh/day of natural gas.

21st June 2022

West Newton Community Liaison Committee
Update Note
June 2022

The Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited team continues to work remotely where possible. Given the current inactivity at the well sites, Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited is providing this update in lieu of an in-person meeting.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council Planning Permission
Since the last liaison committee meeting, two planning applications submitted by Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited were approved by East Riding of Yorkshire Council at its main planning committee meeting on 17 March 2022.

The planning application at West Newton A (WNA) was to extend the site, drill and test up to four new wells and to produce oil and gas from them. As part of the project, additional passing places will be constructed on Pasture Lane prior to using this route.

The application for West Newton B (WNB) was to vary a condition of the original planning approval to allow an extension of time for 36 months, which was also approved.

Community Benefit Fund
Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited previously stated that it would set up a fund for the community if the project moved further than the exploration stage. With the proposed work scope at WNA to drill further wells and produce from them, which has been approved by East Riding of Yorkshire Council, the plan is to initiate a fund by which the company can directly support projects in communities surrounding the wellsite. Business representatives are in discussion with the East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s rural development team as to how best to implement the initiative and this will be put in place prior to works being undertaken at WNA.

The fund is intended to align with the phases of development at WNA. It is recognised that the local community is mostly affected by the development during the initial phases of construction and drilling. Therefore, Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited will make fund contributions upon the commencement of construction, for each new well drilled, and annually, throughout the production phase.

The Community Benefit Fund is to be used for the following:

(a) the development, enhancement and/or maintenance of carbon sinks;
(b) relieving those in need or in poverty, by the advancement of energy projects including energy generation, energy efficiency and/or the relief of fuel poverty;
(c) improving accessibility for people with disabilities living with the local area;
(d) the advancement of education;
(e) the advancement of environmental protection or improvements;
(f) the advancement of the arts, culture, heritage or science;
(g) the advancement of community development including rural regeneration.

Technical Work
In the last six months, a large amount of geological and engineering work has been undertaken. Following the testing of the WNB-1z and WNA-2 wells in Q3/Q4 2021, the information gathered has undergone detailed analysis, including additional lab work. The outcome of this work indicates that the Kirkham Abbey reservoir shows good porosity with both matrix and natural fracture permeability, but the reservoir is very sensitive to water. This means that drilling with water based muds, as has been done to date, has caused near wellbore damage/plugging. This has been compounded, rather than remedied, by the use of water based acids during the completion programme. The conclusion is that drilling with oil based muds (OBM) through the reservoir section should minimise any formation damage, allowing the oil and gas to flow into the wellbore more freely.

Further modelling indicates that the drilling of horizontal wells, which would increase the access of the wellbore to the Kirkham Abbey reservoir and the associated natural fracturing, should allow for increased flow of gas and oil.

Additional studies are currently underway to determine if the well completion programmes could also be optimised to improve reservoir flow rates and gas and oil recoveries.

Environment Agency Permits
Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited applied to vary the WNA Environment Agency (EA) permit in July 2021. A ‘schedule 5’ request for more information has recently been received and responded to. Whilst submitting the information required, the use of oil based drilling muds was included to be used through the Permian strata only, in line with the stipulations within the Standard Rules Permit SR2015 No1.

A permit has also been applied for to use oil-based muds at the WNB site through the Permian strata as detailed within the Standard Rules drilling permit SR2015 No1.

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited anticipates that these permits will be issued in the coming months.

Future Operations
Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited currently has planning permission to drill one more well from the WNB site and up to four new wells from the WNA wellsite.

Although EA permits are currently in place for drilling and testing of wells at the WNA site, the permit is currently being varied, as noted above, to allow for the drilling, testing and production from additional wells. The WNB wellsite has EA permits in place to allow drilling and testing of another well. However, permits will need to be issued to allow for the use of OBM at either site before drilling will commence.

The most likely forward plan will be to drill a new horizontal well from the WNB site, once all regulatory consents have been issued. This drilling operation is likely to commence in H1 of 2023, subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals.

Both well sites and the wells will continue to be maintained as is expected of a competent operator.

17th March 2022

West Newton A site extension and West Newton B time extension approved by planning committee

Rathlin Energy (UK) Ltd and our industry partners welcome the planning committee’s approval of the applications for drilling and production at the West Newton A site and the variation of condition to allow further exploratory drilling at the existing West Newton B site. We would like to thank the officers and elected members for the time and effort they have taken to understand, appraise and determine this application and their acknowledgement of the refinements we have made as a result of councillor and community consultation.

At a time when people are feeling the pressure of high energy and goods prices, which may become higher still as the UK and other countries limit Russian imports of oil and gas and other commodities, Rathlin Energy (UK) Ltd’s projects will support security of supply, be compatible with the path to net zero, contribute to reducing the supply gap and bring meaningful local inward investment and jobs to the East Riding.

We will deliver on our promise to continue to be a good neighbour and now look forward to working with the planning authority to discharge the conditions and starting work on this locally and nationally important project.

22nd February 2022

WEST NEWTON UPDATE

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited is pleased to provide an update on the following activities:

Community Liaison Group

Minutes from latest CLG meeting are now available on this website – please click here to view them

Planning Applications

The planning applications for the West Newton A and West Newton B sites have been submitted to East Riding of Yorkshire Council and will be considered by the Planning Committee on 17 March 2022.

Environment Agency Audits and Inspections

During 2021, and including testing operations at WNA and WNB which commenced last May, the Environment Agency undertook 10 site audits and record inspections covering the range of permitted activities including:

groundwater monitoring
surface water monitoring
flare feed gas analysis
flare operating and emission records
ambient air monitoring

A total of 32 Compliance Assessment Reports were issued by the Environment Agency which included just one minor breach in reporting where a full analysis was not possible due to insufficient sample being available for analysis of some compounds for the first round of testing. Further samples collected for following rounds were analysed for the full suite of compounds. No other issues of non-compliance were reported by the Environment Agency during 2021.

Surface and groundwater monitoring continue at both sites even though test operations have ceased.

12th January 2022

Online Portal Reveals Scaled-down Production Plans for West Newton A

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited has today published more information on its revised planning application for West Newton A. Following feedback from planning members and the local community, the company has released details of its proposals, which were submitted to East Riding of Yorkshire Council at the end of 2021.

The company is writing to all local residents inviting them to review the new proposals and asking them to provide further feedback to East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s planning department. The portal will be live until the planning hearing which the council will announce in due course. This could be up to three months away, giving local people an opportunity to review the plans and to submit their comments.

The portal can be accesses from the homepage of this website: www.rathlin-energy.co.uk

10th December 2021

Planning Application Update

Following the announcement on 26 November 2021 about Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited’s plans to submit a revised proposal for the West Newton A site, and a time extension request for West Newton B, we can confirm that we have now submitted notices for the revised planning applications.

It was our intention to write to all local residents during week commencing 13 December informing them of the applications, (which we will continue to do), however, in light of BBC Look North’s plan to run a story on the subject on 10 December 2021, we are happy to provide the following public summary:

We are aiming to submit the revised planning applications by the end of December 2021
The West Newton A application will be for four new wells (down from six) and the proposed site will be 25 per cent smaller than our original planning application which was considered by councillors on 30 September 2021
Due to the proposed reduction in wells, the duration of drilling will be reduced from 24-months to 17.5-months – a decrease of 6.5-months drilling the required boreholes
The reduction in activities will mean far fewer vehicles using the local road network during the construction phase
We have created a new hedge/tree planting proposal that will further reduce the visual impact of the project, screening it from public view at ground level and from further afield
We have changed our storage tank design from vertical to horizontal therefore making the site equipment less elevated and hidden behind bunds and trees
We reinforce our commitment to a maximum 10 tankers per day during the production phase. We have also restated our previous position that if the quantities of hydrocarbon extracted reach high enough levels, we will explore the possibility of installing a pipeline
We will also be submitting an additional application for a time extension at the West Newton B site
We continue to be committed to developing a Community Benefit Fund in recognition that the success of the development is shared and invested into local community projects.

Local community/parish liaison group members met with representatives from Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited to hear about these plans first-hand on 02 December 2021. The notes from the meeting can be found on the company website at: www.rathlin-energy.co.uk. East Riding of Yorkshire Council will advise when the application is published for comment and we will be in touch in due course to announce when more information will be available via our online information portal. We also give a clear commitment to with work with the West Newton community liaison group in an attempt to openly engage with and inform local people about our work.

26th November 2021

West Newton Update

Following recent activities, we are pleased to provide an update regarding ongoing plans for the West Newton A production development and the West Newton B wellsite.

As you may be aware, some councillors on East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s planning committee raised concerns with the scale of our West Newton A application during the 30 September 2021 meeting. Despite the officers’ recommendation for approval, the application was refused, with the scale of the development being an important factor in the committee’s final determination.

While we continue to receive legal advice regarding an appeal of the decision, re-submitting a revised application is a viable option. Having received the decision document explaining the reasons for refusal, we are now working on a revised approach for the proposed development, in line with the comments made by council representatives. Taking on board the concerns regarding the scale of the development, and other points raised by the local community, we now intend to submit a new application, with the intent of addressing the scale of the development by reducing the site footprint and reducing the number of wells to be drilled.

We will also be providing a more detailed landscape and planting proposal to enhance the screening of the site and will examine more extensively the potential for passing places along Pasture Lane and other traffic management proposals. The revised timeline for approving our application will now allow us to present our development in more detail and to provide additional information to you and the committee.

As the proposed planning application is of smaller scope than previously assessed, the environmental assessments required to accompany the planning application should only need minor amendments which will allow us to submit the revised application by the end of 2021. We shall take on board comments from the last application and will circulate more information to you once it is available.

At West Newton B our current planning permission has a condition that requires operations to be completed by April 2022. Despite our continued operational efforts since site construction was initiated, it is unlikely that the originally proposed work scope will be finished before the expiration date. We therefore we will be applying to East Riding of Yorkshire Council to vary this condition.

The original development was approved to allow for two wells to be drilled and tested, and after the encouraging results from the West Newton B1z well, as well as the A site wells, we are requesting further time to drill and test the second well at the site. The application will not make any changes to the proposed development activity.

We will aim to submit this application by the end of the year so that the West Newton A and West Newton B applications can run along the same timeline.

Hydrocarbons will continue to play an ongoing and essential role in UK, for both energy supply and as a raw material, now and for the next generation of East Riding of Yorkshire residents and businesses. Over the next 25 years there will be a co-ordinated and concerted effort to reduce emissions and we are absolutely committed to supporting the UK government in this transition phase. Using locally sourced resources will not only help to reduce the risks associated with being a net hydrocarbon importer, but it will also act as a more environmentally friendly stepping-stone to support the evolution to a more sustainable future. We are committed to working with East Riding of Yorkshire Council and the local community to bring about the production of local hydrocarbons in a responsible manner.

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited submitted an application to vary the Environment Agency permits for the West Newton A site in July this year to allow for the production of hydrocarbons at the wellsite. These have now been ‘duly made’ and we are aware that the Environment Agency is now carrying out public consultation on this application. The Environment Agency Permitting regime and the Minerals Planning Authority planning determination processes are independent of one another but both EA permits and Planning Permission need to be granted prior to carrying out the activities.

31st August 2021

WEST NEWTON OPERATIONS UPDATE

Testing at the West Newton B-1Z well will be temporarily suspended. The test, to date, has provided significant information which will improve our understanding of the West Newton field.

Both natural gas and hydrocarbon liquids have been recovered at surface during the course of testing.

The reservoir appears to be naturally fractured and has demonstrated a functional permeability system, however, sustained hydrocarbon flow has not been achieved a this point.

The B-1Z well will be suspended with gauges monitoring pressure build up in the well bore, with a view to further testing following the results at the A-2 well

The testing equipment will move to the West Newton A site, where we will recommence with the previously interrupted (August 2019) test of the A-2 well.

We plan to conduct a similar programme to what has just been completed at WNB, which will include a nitrogen lift and using a linear rod pump to pump fluid from the well. We will use combustion units to incinerate any gas recovered.

This programme should take approximately four weeks but may change and be extended, dependent upon the circumstances which arise.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council has recently approved revised traffic management plans, which include a more direct route between the two well sites. All abnormal loads (such as long vehicles) will be directed around the originally approved routes and the two routes will be used to reduce traffic movements through surrounding villages.

12th July 2021

Submission of Planning Application – West Newton A Wellsite Extension

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited has submitted a planning application to East Riding of Yorkshire Council for a proposed development at the company’s West Newton A wellsite.

The application is seeking permission to extend the existing wellsite; test, appraise and produce from the two existing wells; and drill, test, appraise and produce from up to six new wells. The application also caters for any wellsite restoration work.

Following the Secretary of State’s determination that this application does not require an Environmental Impact Assessment, the submission has been prepared along with the environmental appraisals included in the original screening information, and includes:

An air Quality Impact Assessment;
A Cultural Heritage Assessment;
An Ecological Impact Assessment;
A Hydrogeological Risk Assessment;
A Drainage Impact Assessment;
A Flood Risk Assessment;
A Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment;
A Lighting Impact Assessment;
A Noise Impact Assessment; and
A Transport Assessment.

During the stakeholder and community consultation event held earlier this year, many comments received related to transport and logistics associated with the proposed project. In response to this, and having revisited the plans, Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited has been able to reduce the maximum estimated vehicle movements during the production phase from 25 per day to 10 per day. The company thanks local representatives and residents for taking the time to comment on this point and others in its proposals.

The application is available to view for a period of public consultation via East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s website. East Riding of Yorkshire Council, as the Mineral Planning Authority, has published the application under number 21/02464/STFUL: https://newplanningaccess.eastriding.gov.uk/

Information about the project is still available via the Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited consultation page at: www.rathlin-energy.co.uk. However, it should be noted that some changes have been made to the final application following stakeholder and community feedback at the consultation event. Please visit: https://consultation-wna.rathlin-energy.co.uk/ for more information.

4th June 2021

Online Consultation Event – FAQs summary by theme

As a result of the West Newton A site online public consultation exercise, we received a number of questions from the public which we responded to individually. We have summarised the key concerns and responses below:

Traffic

Traffic was one of the main concerns from feedback we received throughout consultation. We have taken this on board and reduced the maximum number of vehicles we are proposing per day during the production phase.

We are going to reduce the number to 10 HGVs per day (two way movement, 10 in and 10 out from the wellsite) during the longest phase of the project, the production phase, to reduce the impact balanced against managing our operations successfully.

As we have stated previously it is too early to decide whether a pipeline is required. There are too many questions which cannot be answered accurately at this early stage such as size, destination, direction, regulatory and safety requirements for a pipeline.

As explained during the consultation, we plan to apply for two different routes to access the site; the northern route is consistent with our exploration development via the A165, through New Ellerby, Marton and down Piper’s Lane and the second from the south, along Burton Constable Road, Pasture Lane and to the B1238. This is to reduce the impact of long-term traffic on the rural villages.

For robustness, the planning application will continue to assess the “worst case” of up to 25 HGV’s per day (two way movement, 25 in and 25 out from the wellsite). What this means is that the air quality, noise as well as traffic capacity is assessed in an unlikely scenario.

Noise

Several responses from the consultation asked questions regarding noise levels. A detailed noise assessment will be submitted as part of the planning application to assess the levels in decibels and frequency. The assessment considers noise generated from the well site operation, including traffic noise.

There are strict noise levels imposed on hydrocarbon wellsites, which are well understood by regulators and operators. Therefore, the operation will be tightly regulated with numerical limits set to prevent disturbance.

We are conscious of the noise generated from our operations and will demonstrate in detail how we will manage our wellsite within the noise assessment. This will include understanding the natural background noise levels, modelling the noise profile from the wellsite, and managing noise with monitoring, position of equipment and if necessary, noise walls.

Lighting

With regards to questions asked about lighting, our intention is to direct lighting inside the wellsite perimeter. The reason for lighting is for the safety of our operations. Most of the development lifecycle (during production – up to 20 years) will use low level lighting. However, during drilling or workover phases the lighting will be increased to account for the increase in operational activity. Therefore, we have produced a lighting report to measure sky glow, glare and light spill. The results will be presented in the planning application to show how the operation is consistent with professional guidance lighting thresholds for impact during operational phases.

Emission & Climate Change

Questions were asked regarding the consistency of the development with climate change targets. Rathlin Energy supports the roadmap towards net zero by 2050 and believes the UK is better placed to produce indigenous hydrocarbons rather than importing them. The East Riding is well placed to potentially take advantage of locally sourced hydrocarbons with the intense energy industry surrounding the Humber estuary.

The need for hydrocarbons will be required for decades to come and the Climate Change Committee (CCC)¹ recognise that hydrocarbons will continue to play a role up to and potentially beyond 2050. Users of hydrocarbons are examining how to reduce their carbon emissions by installing carbon capture and storage or using methane to produce hydrogen. Rathlin’s role in the hydrocarbon supply chain is to produce a low carbon-intensive product for its customers thus minimising the end users carbon footprint.

The CCC accounts for individual industry sectors e.g. buildings, surface transport and fuel supply. Rathlin’s is defined as a “fuel supply” sector, which has a predicted carbon budget out to 2050.
Within our planning application we will demonstrate that emissions within Rathlin’s control will potentially produce a lower carbon-intensive product to that of overseas imports and benchmark the West Newton A operations against the fuel supply carbon budgets.

Accompanying climate change were questions on emissions in general and the impact on air quality. A detailed assessment of air quality impacts will determine the operational impact against established air quality standards for human health and ecological habitats. The assessment will calculate the contributions to air quality via modelling to show the impact against legal limits. You will be able to see numerically as well as pictorially how the impact is modelled.

¹ https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/sixth-carbon-budget/

Operational Safety

Comments were made during the public consultation regarding the safety of storing crude oil at a wellsite. On site oil storage is not uncommon for an operational wellsite. Onshore wellsites have operated safely in the UK for over 100 years, and we have some of the most stringent, environmental, planning and safety regimes in the world. All equipment is certified to UK standards and we are regulated by the Environment Agency, Health and Safety Executive and the Oil and Gas Authority to ensure that we maintain the highest environmental and safety standards. All tanks are bunded and on concrete hard standings and the whole site is built over an impermeable membrane so if any oil ever leaked, it would be contained and could not escape into the environment.

The movement of oil to refineries and then from refineries to third-party locations occurs daily throughout the UK, for example by road to petrol stations and for home heating for properties not connected to the grid. As such, we are confident that the transportation of crude oil from the WNA wellsite to the refinery can be undertaken in a in a safe and responsible manner.

24th May 2021

WEST NEWTON OPERATIONS UPDATE

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited is pleased to provide an update on the activities at the West Newton B site. All operations are being conducted in accordance with regulatory requirements, permissions, planning conditions and Covid-19 restrictions and guidance.

On Monday 24 May 2021, equipment required to complete and test the West Newton B-1z well commenced mobilisation to site. This equipment includes a workover rig, well test package, CEB burners (incinerators), a wireline unit and other related materials.

The amount of equipment and, in general, the size of it is less than required for drilling operations. The equipment will be rigged-up during the first week of operations after which completion activities including perforation and well treatment operations will commence. The well test will follow these operations. Overall, the duration of the West Newton B-1z completion and testing operations are expected to take approximately six (6) weeks.

Initially, site activities including rigging up and completion operations will be conducted during daylight hours (07:00-19:00), however, once well testing operations are underway site activities will move to 24-hours a day, seven days a week. HGV and delivery traffic will be planned for daytime hours (07:00-19:00), Monday to Saturday and will follow the approved traffic management route. The site will have a manned security presence and wellsite supervision 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

The West Newton B-1z completion and testing operations are targeting hydrocarbons in the conventional Kirkham Abbey Formation reservoir.

Following the cessation of operations on the WN B-1z well, it is Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited’s intention to mobilise equipment and personnel to the West Newton A site in order to recommence testing of the WN A-2 well.

30th March 2021

More than 370 people visit online exhibition

The consultation event into Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited’s proposed development at West Newton A closed at 00:01 hours on Tuesday, eight days after it opened to local residents.

The exhibition was designed to give local people and business owners an opportunity to comment on its proposals before the company begins to develop a planning application to create a production facility at the East Yorkshire site.

10 per cent of those who attended the online exhibition left their comments which will now be considered and used to inform the planning application development process.

A spokesperson for the company said: “We are pleased with the turnout and the response we have had – almost 100 percent more when compared to our West Newton A/B [physical] event over a weekend in 2014. Local residents have had an opportunity to share their comments with us and we have had some very interesting feedback. We would like to thank everyone for their enthusiastic contributions which will now be carefully reviewed ahead of the submission of a planning application.”

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited will now assess all information that has been gathered over several years and hopes to submit a carefully considered planning application in the summer. Further updates will be posted on this website as usual.

22nd March 2021

Online public consultation event opens

A week-long online exhibition has opened to gather local stakeholder and community feedback ahead of a potential planning application to develop a production facility at Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited’s West Newton A wellsite in East Yorkshire. The company is gathering feedback before the planning application is produced and submitted and the formal consultation process, via East Riding of Yorkshire Council, begins. The planning application does not currently exist so this is what is known as pre-application consultation. The aim is to gather as much feedback as possible to inform the application development process.

A spokesperson for the company said:

“Whilst we appreciate that online consultation (as with most forms of consultation) has some limitations, accessibility during a global pandemic has been a key consideration in developing our online event. That is why we have sent more than letters to 2,000 local homes to advise residents about our plans.

“The online exhibition is open 24-hours a day for seven days (168 hours) as opposed to other pre-application consultation events which are generally accessible for around six hours on one day. There is no need to try and fit attendance around work, transport availability, childcare or other personal commitments, and there is no travel time to and from the venue. We know from previous online exhibitions that we have done that engagement via online events has been higher than when we have done physical events in the same area in the past (indeed more than 350 people visited the online exhibition today [22 March 2021] compared to less than 200 at our 2014 West Newton A and B consultation event and there are still six days left to participate and provide feedback). But for the pandemic, it is likely that we would have done both an online and physical event but, as mentioned in the leaflet that the company has posted to every home in the area, that just isn’t possible at the moment unfortunately. Indeed, it isn’t legally permissible.”

Local people wishing to submit their comments can do so via the online exhibition and completing an online form. Please visit: https://consultation-wna.rathlin-energy.co.uk/ to register, visit the exhibition and provide feedback. Local representatives are also available to support and answer questions.

It should be noted that there is no legal or planning requirement for Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited to undertake public consultation at this stage of the application development process.

Footnote: Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited has given a commitment to positively support the decarbonisation of the region by supplying a locally sourced, lower carbon intense, product to the Humber cluster. The company used some publicly available information from Zero Carbon Humber to illustrate this point in our online event. Having since spoken with a representative from Zero Carbon Humber, the exhibition material has been updated to reflect the wider carbon capture and storage sector rather than just detailing one individual scheme. We would like to thank Zero Carbon Humber for their constructive advice.

1st March 2021

UPDATE: WEST NEWTON A TRAFFIC PROFILE

In response to questions raised about traffic movements for the proposed development at West Newton A (WNA), the following information is being released before the planned public consultation event. Details about the event will be published in due course. The event is being designed to give local residents and businesses an opportunity to ask the Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited team questions as well as the chance to review the proposed WNA development prior to the formal submission of the planning application.

Within the screening request submitted by Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited to East Riding of Yorkshire Council in December 2020, we included a traffic profile for the production phase (phase 6) of the proposed development. The profile is an estimated maximum-case scenario based on a high case of returning hydrocarbons of 20-25 HGVs over a 15–20 year period which is not expected to result in a significant effect.

We deliberately included a high case scenario for a prudent assessment that reviewed the maximum case for traffic movements derived from the largest quantity of oil being stored on the site, 490 tonnes, and requiring that amount to be removed in one day.

The reality for hydrocarbons is that they will undergo a natural decline over time. This is due to the natural reduction in pressures and flow from the sub surface formation. As a result, the number of traffic movements will reflect the production decline over time as the volume of hydrocarbon produced is reduced.

The below graph visually illustrates a typical decline over time based on a high case scenario of returning hydrocarbons at the WNA development for all eight wells flowing and coming into production at the same time. The graph shows production rates are anticipated to decline rapidly in the first five (5) years and shows a steadier decline rate from year five (5) to ten (10) followed by a flattened curve through years ten (10) to twenty (20).

26th January 2021

Information REgarding SCREENING OPINION

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited has received a few enquiries from local residents about the screening opinion received from the East Riding of Yorkshire Council – in response to the company’s screening request for the proposed West Newton A site extension.

Screening is a procedure used to determine whether a proposed project is likely to have significant effects on the environment. It normally takes place at an early stage in the design of a potential project.

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited submitted a screening request to East Riding of Yorkshire Council seeking the authority’s opinion as to whether the proposed development at the West Newton A wellsite is likely to have a significant impact on the environment.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council has considered the screening request against The Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 and has issued a screening opinion stating that an Environmental Impact Assessment is not required for the proposed West Newton A development.

For the avoidance of doubt, planning permission is not conferred by this decision.

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited will now be assembling all the necessary information required to support a future planning application for submission. A number of specialist reports will be prepared to identify and assess any impacts associated with the proposed development. Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited is committed to facilitating public engagement on its plans in advance of the formal submission of the planning application. Details will be provided in due course. Following submission to East Riding of Yorkshire Council, the planning application will be open to public comment for future consideration by the local authority’s planners and the relevant planning committee.

22nd January 2021

REQUEST FOR SCREENING OPINION

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited has received a Screening Opinion from the East Riding of Yorkshire Council in response to the company’s screening request for the proposed West Newton A site extension.

The proposed extension of the existing West Newton A (WNA) wellsite and associated work programme would provide for testing, appraisal and production from the two existing wells (WN-A1 and WN-A2) and the potential for drilling, testing, appraisal and production from up to six (6) new wells on the WNA site over a 25 year period. East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Screening Opinion considers that the proposed development would not comprise EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) development.

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited will be undertaking public consultation on the West Newton A site development plan over the coming months and ahead of the submission of any formal planning application.

Information regarding the screening request is available on East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s planning portal.

10th December 2020

WEST NEWTON OPERATIONS UPDATE

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited is pleased to announce that the West Newton B1Z well has been successfully drilled to a total depth of 2,114 metres.

The operation has been conducted safely and in accordance with Covid-19 related guidance and restrictions.

The B1Z well encountered a 62 metre thick hydrocarbon bearing Kirkham Abbey reservoir section.

A core was cut and recovered from the Kirkham Abbey and has been sent for analysis. Wireline logs have also been acquired.

The well will be cased and cemented to total depth and then temporarily suspended, pending further evaluation.

The drilling rig and associated equipment will be demobilised from site prior to Christmas.

All of the information acquired during the drilling operation will be analysed to inform a future testing programme.

Planning permission is in place for the testing of this well and the drilling and testing of one more well from the West Newton B site.

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited would like to thank nearby residents for their understanding during the drilling phase and wish everyone a very merry Christmas.

23rd November 2020

WEST NEWTON OPERATIONS UPDATE

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited is pleased to provide an update of the activities at the West Newton B site.

All operations are being conducted in accordance with Covid-19 related guidance and restrictions.

The WNB-1 well has been drilled safely to a Total Depth of 2,295 metres, encountering both the primary and secondary objectives, the Kirkham Abbey and Cadeby formations respectively.

The Kirkham Abbey formation indicated a hydrocarbon charge based on wireline logs, cuttings and mud gas readings. The secondary target, the Cadeby formation contained insufficient reservoir development at this location.

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited has commenced a side-track drilling operation, expected to take about 3 weeks, from the WNB-1 well.

The objective of the WNB-1Z side-track well is to evaluate the Kirkham Abbey formation in a structurally superior location, on-trend with the previously discovered Kirkham Abbey accumulation.

The information derived from both the WNB-1 and WNB-1Z wells will inform a subsequent programme of well testing and any future drilling operations.

4th October 2020

WEST NEWTON OPERATIONS UPDATE

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited is pleased to provide an update of the activities at the West Newton B site. All operations are being conducted in accordance with Covid-19 related guidance and restrictions.

Rigging up and commissioning of the English owned and operated Drillmec HH 220 drilling rig is complete.

On Sunday 4 October 2020, drilling of the main borehole commenced.

The borehole will be drilled to an approximate depth of 2,000 metres and shall take six (6) to ten (10) weeks to complete. Drilling will continue 24-hours a day. Once completed, the drilling rig will be demobilised from the site over a period of approximately one (1) week.

Site access throughout drilling operations will be required 24-hours a day, seven days a week but most deliveries shall be planned for daytime hours. Access changes to nearby roads, agreed by East Riding of Yorkshire Council, will remain in effect. The site will have a manned security presence 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

The West Newton B-1 well is targeting the same conventional reservoirs in the Kirkham Abbey and Cadeby carbonate formations that were encountered in the recently drilled WNA-2 well.

The rock samples and other data acquired during the drilling of WNB-1 will inform a subsequent programme of well testing to establish the well’s productive capability and any future drilling operations.

22nd September 2020

WEST NEWTON OPERATIONS UPDATE

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited is pleased to provide an update on the activities at the West Newton B site. All operations are being conducted in accordance with Covid-19 related restrictions.

The drilling and setting of conductor casing are complete and the conductor rig was demobilised from site last week. The steel conductor casing was set at a depth of 74 metres, in the Cretaceous chalk and cemented in place. The conductor provides a stable base for the main drilling rig as well as protection for the surface formations during the main drilling operation.

All permits and permissions are in place to commence the main drilling operations and any pre-operational conditions have been satisfied.

On Tuesday 22 September 2020, the main drilling rig and associated equipment commenced mobilisation to site.

The equipment will be rigged-up over a period of one (1) to two (2) weeks prior to drilling operations commencing. The borehole will be drilled to an approximate depth of 2,000 metres and shall take six (6) to ten (10) weeks to complete. Drilling will continue 24 hours a day. Once completed, the drilling rig will be demobilised from the site over a period of approximately one (1) week.

The West Newton B-1 well is targeting the same conventional reservoirs in the Kirkham Abbey and Cadeby carbonate formations that were encountered in the recently drilled WNA-2 well.

20th August 2020

Request For Screening Opinions

Beverley-based onshore energy operator Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited has submitted Screening Requests to East Riding of Yorkshire Council for two new potential hydrocarbon wellsites, West Newton C and West Newton D. This is the first step of the planning process to further explore and appraise the West Newton hydrocarbon field and will determine whether planning application submissions for West Newton C and West Newton D will require environmental impact assessments. The Screening Opinions will be available following the consideration of East Riding of Yorkshire Council planning department, which is currently in progress.

Further exploration and appraisal of the West Newton Field will continue to progress the company’s understanding of the West Newton hydrocarbon prospect. The Humber region is the UK’s largest energy hub, contributing £18bn towards the UK economy along with 27% of the UK’s oil refinery capacity. The West Newton prospect borders a thriving cluster of world-scale chemical and energy operations located at Saltend, and elsewhere within the Humber estuary. The cluster currently relies upon significant oil and natural gas imports from overseas. These foreign imports come at a higher cost to the UK and with an increased carbon footprint.

The Zero Carbon Humber energy and chemicals cluster has been identified by the UK government as a funding recipient to develop the world’s first carbon neutral (net zero) industrial cluster by 2040. Hydrocarbons are used as raw materials to make a range of products including fertiliser for agriculture, PPE for hospitals, detergents for homes, paints, mouldable plastics, mobile phones, laptops, surfaces for roads as well as used to heat homes and businesses.

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited believes the West Newton Field has the potential to provide local feedstock to a Humber net zero project replacing the need for imported hydrocarbons while at the same time developing indigenous energy sources, contributing to the economic welfare of the Humber region and enhancing local job prospects.

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited will be undertaking public consultation on the proposed Field Development over the coming months and ahead of the submission of any formal planning applications.

18th August 2020

West Newton Operations Update

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited is pleased to provide an update on the activities at the West Newton B site. All operations are being conducted in accordance with Covid-19 related restrictions.

The wellsite and access track construction work has now been completed. All permits and permissions are in place to commence conductor drilling operations and any pre-operational conditions have been satisfied.

The active area of the site has been fully lined with an impermeable HDPE membrane and a surface water discharge system has been installed which allows for environmental isolation of the wellsite. Two drilling cellars have been installed. Northern Power Grid has completed the electrical connection to the site which will allow the operations to utilise mains electrical power for site requirements, rather than diesel generators, where possible.

The site is fully fenced and during operations the site will have a manned security presence 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

On Monday 17 August 2020, the conductor rig and associated equipment was mobilised to site. Conductor drilling operations will commence shortly and will be conducted between Monday and Saturday from 07:00 to 18:00. Access changes to nearby roads, agreed by East Riding of Yorkshire Council, will remain in effect.

The conductor rig will drill to a depth of approximately 80m into the Cretaceous chalk where steel casing will be installed and cemented to surface. The conductor casing will provide a stable base for the main drilling rig and protect surface formations during the drilling operations. Following completion of this phase of operations, the conductor rig will be demobilised and the site prepared for arrival of the main drilling rig.

The main drilling rig will be mobilised to the site and rigged up over a period of one (1) to two (2) weeks in preparation to drill the main borehole to a depth of approximately 2,000 metres. Once the drilling operation starts it will continue 24-hours a day. Site access will also be required 24-hours a day, seven days a week but most deliveries shall be planned for daytime hours.

The drilling operations will continue for six (6) to ten (10) weeks. Once completed, the drilling rig will be demobilised from the site over a period of approximately one (1) week.

The information gathered during the drilling of WNB-1 will inform a subsequent programme of well testing to establish the well’s productive capability and any future drilling operations.

3rd August 2020

West Newton Operations Update

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited is pleased to provide an update on the progress made to date at the West Newton B site, the planned near term drilling activity at the WNB-1 well, and subsequent testing of the B-1 and A-2 wells.

Significant progress has been made at the West Newton B site over the last few months, successfully managing operations under the Covid-19 related restrictions.

Pre-construction works commenced in April, with land drainage installed and two water monitoring boreholes drilled, and baseline sampling currently underway.

Work started on the site access track in early May. This activity, which was subject to an archaeological watching brief, was completed in mid-June, facilitating access to the B site. Access changes to nearby roads, agreed by East Riding of Yorkshire Council, are now in effect.

Site works commenced in late May with a full archaeological strip, map and record study. Following topsoil stripping and archaeological reporting, construction operations were initiated, and good progress has been made toward completion of the site.

Following site construction the drilling of the WNB-1 well will be conducted in two phases. The first phase is to set the structural conductor using a small conductor setting rig to an approximate depth of 80 metres. This is classed as part of the construction phase within the scope of the development. Operational hours are Monday to Saturday 07:00-18:00. The equipment will be demobilised upon completion.

Once the conductor has been installed a large oilfield drilling rig will be mobilised to the site over a period of one (1) to two (2) weeks to drill the main borehole. Once the drilling operation starts, access will be required 24-hours a day, seven days a week but there should be a limited number of deliveries per day with anything arriving at the site planned for daytime hours where possible.

The drilling operations will continue for six (6) to ten (10) weeks. Once the drilling operation has been completed, the drilling rig will be demobilised from the site over a period of approximately one (1) week.

Following evaluation of the data gathered during the drilling of WNB-1 testing of both the WNA-2 and WNB-1 wells will be undertaken.

1st July 2020

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited Update

A statement from John Hodgins, Director, Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited: “David Montagu-Smith, a founding member and Chairman of Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited, has announced that he is stepping down from the Board of the company. David has played an integral role in the success of a business that is currently appraising a significant oil and gas discovery and is positioned with a firm exploration foothold established in East Yorkshire. Now, after working for over fifty years in the international oil and natural gas industry, David feels it is time to retire. It has been a tremendous honour and privilege to have worked and shared experiences with David over many years. The Board has benefited greatly from his vision and strong leadership, and Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited will undoubtedly continue to grow stronger in the years to come because of his past guidance and advice. On behalf of the Board, and our wider team, I would like to say thank you to David for his huge contribution. We wish him every success and happiness in the future.”

David will step down from his role on 01 July 2020.

The senior management and Board of Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited will continue to progress the ongoing exploration and appraisal activities of the company and its partners, in East Yorkshire, with the testing of the West Newton A-2 well and the drilling and testing of the West Newton B-1 well.

4th May 2020

West Newton Update

Construction of the West Newton B wellsite and access track is currently underway.

Prior to the drilling and testing of West Newton B-1, and the additional well testing at West Newton A-2, Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited has been evaluating various potential field development scenarios. Part of that process is understanding the carbon footprint and potential climate impact that any proposed development and production of the oil and gas resources at West Newton may have.

A recently completed Carbon Intensity Study of a notional West Newton development plan, conducted by Gaffney Cline and Associates, has given the plan an AA carbon intensity rating. This is the best possible rating for low carbon emissions based on the Oil Production Greenhouse Gas Emissions Estimator developed at Stanford University.

The Gaffney Cline study was based on a West Newton notional field development scenario and draws on parameters from a global database of over 9,000 oil and gas fields.

The study concludes that:

Carbon Intensities at West Newton are significantly lower than the UK average and other onshore analogues
West Newton could produce five grams of CO2 per megajoule of energy produced
Further reductions in Carbon Intensity may be achievable through Gas to Grid, Enhanced Oil Recovery, CO2 sequestration and other engineering solutions

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited, as operator of West Newton, is encouraged by the results of the study and will strive to ensure that any development proposed for West Newton will employ best industry practices to deliver a domestic source of low carbon energy to help meet the energy requirements of the UK.

4th May 2020

West Newton Community Update

This update is to advise that Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited is moving its programme of works forward, in line with the latest government and public health guidance on Covid-19. The company continues to follow the advice closely.

West Newton A
Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited secured a permit variation from the Environment Agency on Friday 24th April 2020. This enables the company to recommence its well test using a pumpjack (nodding donkey) and a smaller incinerator unit. Once the required personnel and equipment are available the testing operations will recommence.

West Newton B
Pre-construction works commenced during week commencing 06th April 2020. To date, additional land drainage has been installed in the affected fields. Two water monitoring boreholes, which are a condition associated with the West Newton B Environment Agency permit, have also been installed and baseline sampling will be undertaken.

On 04th May 2020, work got underway on the construction of the West Newton B access track. This activity is the subject of an archeological watching brief and is expected to take five to six weeks.

Road closures, agreed by East Riding of Yorkshire Council, have been instated for safety reasons on Pasture Lane. The traffic management plan for the construction phase of operations is now in effect and works are restricted to Monday to Saturday between the hours of 07:00 and 18:00.

In due course, site construction works will commence on the West Newton B drilling site. This work will include a full archeological strip, map and record study, following which, site construction will begin. The site construction works are anticipated to take between five and six weeks.

Drilling of the West Newton B-1 well will commence following the completion of the access track and site construction activities and the conductor setting operations.

During the course of these operations, Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited will keep community neighbours informed of activities through website updates, the West Newton Liaison Committee and other periodic notices.

27th April 2020

West Newton Update

On Friday 24 April 2020, Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited – the operator of PEDL183 – received a decision document from the Environment Agency granting a variation to the permit for the West Newton A site and associated West Newton A-2 (WNA-2) testing operations.

During drilling and early testing operations of the WNA-2 well, additional information was gathered that improved the understanding of the targeted Kirkham Abbey (KA) reservoir leading to the identification of a potential oil leg overlain by an associated gas cap within the reservoir interval.

This variation will allow Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited to use mechanical methods (pumpjack/nodding donkey) for lifting wellbore fluids and for the utilisation of a smaller incineration unit during the testing of the WNA-2 well.

Testing operations at West Newton will recommence once government guidance surrounding the COVID-19 situation permits, the required personnel and equipment become available and the continued health and safety of Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited employees, contract personnel and the community can be ensured.

14th April 2020

West Newton Update

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited, in its capacity as Operator of PEDL183 and associated field operations in the West Newton area of East Yorkshire, provides the following update. On 2 April 2020, we posted our response to the COVID-19 situation and indicated our adherence to the most up-to-date government guidance, while continuing our exploration efforts at West Newton. A link to the UK Government Guidance, dated 29 March 2020, is provided below.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do

Currently, Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited – on behalf of partners – is conducting preparatory work at the West Newton B site in compliance with landowner and regulatory agreements, and consistent with government guidance on the COVID-19 situation. Initial operations involve the completion of the access track and site along with activities that are pre-operational conditions of our Environment Agency and East Riding of Yorkshire Council permissions.

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited wrote to East Riding of Yorkshire Council on 17 March 2020 to notify, under Condition 2 of the planning permission, that works at the West Newton B site would be starting. This is in adherence with the West Newton B planning permission granted in 2015 – with a condition that the works should start within five years of the planning decision. These activities have been many months in planning and are consistent with operational updates provided previously by Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited – indicating that site activities would begin during Q2 2020.

2nd April 2020

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited Update

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited has, like most organisations, implemented our resilience plan in response to the COVID-19 situation, with our office team working from home. Nevertheless, we remain fully operational and people should continue to contact us in the normal way.

We will continue to follow the most up to date government advice and engage with our regulatory bodies and other stakeholders.

We remain completely committed to our local supply chain and to continuing our exploration work at West Newton.

In the meantime, on behalf of everyone at Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited, we hope you keep well and healthy during this unprecedented time.

19th March 2020

West Newton Update

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited provided notice on Tuesday 17 March 2020 to East Riding of Yorkshire Council regarding the start of activities at the West Newton B wellsite.

In accordance with Condition 2 of the West Newton B planning permission, Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited is required to notify East Riding of Yorkshire Council at least 14 days prior to commencement of activities on site.

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited will provide further operational updates on this website when appropriate.

4th February 2020

West Newton Extended Well Test Update

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited, as operator of the West Newton A-2 well, is providing the following update regarding the Extended Well Test.

Preparations for the retesting of the well are progressing both from an operational and a regulatory standpoint.

Coordinating the availability and timing of services, equipment, personnel and other aspects of operations with the requirements of our regulators is imperative.

These activities and approvals are often dependent upon one another.

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited will provide operational updates via this website when appropriate.

29th August 2019

West Newton Operations and Technical Update

Well test operations at the West Newton site have been suspended pending the analysis of the data acquired to date during the drilling and testing of the well.

The well has been temporarily suspended and the test equipment is being demobilised from the site.

Once demobilisation is complete, Piper’s Lane and Fosham Road will be re-opened to all traffic.

Further operational plans will be informed and communicated following the evaluation of the drilling and testing data.

Highlights

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited (“Rathlin”) and project partners now believe that the West Newton project represents a significant oil and gas discovery rather than a pure gas discovery as originally thought.
Evaluation of the West Newton A-2 open hole data has identified an estimated gross hydrocarbon column of approximately 65 metres in the Kirkham Abbey Formation.
Initial petrophysical evaluation identifies a gross oil column of approximately 45 metres underlying a gross gas column of approximately 20 metres within the Kirkham Abbey interval.
With the indication of a potentially significant oil column, the Extended Well Test (“EWT”) has been temporarily suspended in order to review and revise the well test design to deliver the necessary test information to validate this potentially important onshore resource.
Following the integration and evaluation of the core, petrophysical, seismic and test data, the Operator and partners intend to commission a revised CPR to re-assess volumetrics and revise NPV10 values based on the information acquired from the West Newton A-2 well.

The West Newton A-2 well was drilled as an appraisal of the West Newton A-1 discovery well. Based on the results of the West Newton A-1 well, a Best Estimate Contingent Resource of 189 Bcfe of gas was identified in a Competent Persons Report (“CPR”) compiled by Deloitte and dated 1 June 2017.

The West Newton A-2 well was spud on 26 April 2019 and on 9 June 2019 reached a total depth (“TD”) of 2061 metres. A full suite of open hole logs was run and 28 metres of core were successfully cut and recovered from the Kirkham Abbey Formation.

Initial open hole information indicated that in many respects the zone penetrated was consistent with that encountered in the West Newton A-1 well, however, the West Newton A-2 well indicated the presence of both gas and oil in the reservoir as opposed to a pure gas project as originally thought.

Evaluation of the West Newton A-2 open hole data has identified an estimated gross hydrocarbon column of approximately 65 metres in the Kirkham Abbey Formation. Based on the previously described data in conjunction with cuttings analysis and mudlogging data, a cased hole pulsed-neutron tool was run across the Kirkham Abbey zone as a means to differentiate and confirm fluid saturations.

Initial petrophysical evaluation identifies a gross oil column of approximately 45 metres underlying a gross gas column of approximately 20 metres within the Kirkham Abbey interval. The West Newton A-2 well exhibits encouraging porosities on logs and in core, particularly in the identified oil zone where in excess of 30 metres of porosity has been measured. The core also exhibits natural fracturing which is confirmed by an imaging log run across the entire Kirkham Abbey interval.

The cased hole logging and completion programmes were initiated on 6 August 2019 followed by well test operations which commenced on 20 August 2019. With the indication of a potentially significant oil column, the Extended Well Test (“EWT”) has been temporarily suspended, in order to review and revise the well test design to deliver the necessary test information to validate this potentially important onshore resource.

Additionally, the West Newton A-2 well data provides a good tie to the high quality three component 3D seismic volume that covers the entire West Newton project. The new data allows for a revised interpretation of the seismic volume incorporating the well and the newly identified gas over oil gross hydrocarbon column.

Following the integration and evaluation of the core, petrophysical, seismic and test data, Rathlin and partners intend to commission a revised CPR to re-assess volumetrics and revise NPV10 values based on the information acquired from the West Newton A-2 well.

22nd August 2019

West Newton Operations Update

The flow testing of the WNA-2 well commenced earlier today.

The well test programme is scheduled to continue for the next 4-8 weeks.

The necessary regulatory permissions and consents are in place for this test.

Additional information regarding the test programme will be made available once the relevant data has been collected and analysed.

12th August 2019

West Newton Update

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited began mobilising a service rig and associated testing equipment to the West Newton A site today (12 August 2019).

Over the coming days, the West Newton A-2 well will be equipped for the perforation/completion of a select interval within the Kirkham Abbey conventional reservoir.

The well test equipment will be spotted, assembled and commissioned in preparation for well testing operations.

Once the well test operations have commenced, they are anticipated to run over the next 4-8 weeks, 24 hours per day.

The information gathered during the well test operations will aid in evaluation of the Kirkham Abbey reservoir and help inform any further programme of work in the area.

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited’s planning permission and EA permits provide for the drilling and testing of two wells at the West Newton A site.

Permissions are also in place for the construction of the West Newton B site and the drilling and testing of two additional wells.

Separate planning permissions, environmental permits and OGA approvals would be required for any field development and production.

6th August 2019

West Newton Update

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited mobilised a wireline unit and associated equipment to the West Newton-A wellsite today.

The wireline unit will be used to conduct some logging within the cased wellbore prior to the main phase of the testing operation.

For safety reasons, Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited has enforced the Temporary Traffic Regulation Order, to close the extent of Piper’s Lane and Fosham Road along with parts of the footpaths leading to the roads, which has been issued by East Riding of Yorkshire Council. For more information regarding the road closure, please see the West Newton A-2 Update published within the news section of www.rathlin-energy.co.uk on 15 June 2019. Any queries regarding the road closure should be directed to East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Highways Department on 01482 393939.

The testing operation is planned to take approximately 4-8 weeks and the road closure will remain in place for the duration of these works.

24th July 2019

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited West Newton A-2 update

Following the successful drilling of the West Newton A-2 well, Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited, (Rathlin), is progressing plans to test WNA-2 in accordance with the existing planning permission.

Based on the analysis of the data gathered while drilling, it is uncertain whether the well may flow oil or gas, or a combination of both. Furthermore, the composition of the hydrocarbons would need to be determined during the well test.

Given the uncertainty of the hydrocarbon composition, and to ensure that Rathlin has the appropriate consents in place, an application has been submitted to East Riding of Yorkshire Council for a Hazardous Substances Consent which would allow for the storage of up to 199 tonnes of crude oil which falls in category P5b.

The Hazardous Substances Consent would not be required if controlled quantity thresholds are not exceeded. This is 50 tonnes for oil with a composition classified within category P5b.

During the well test, any gas flowed to surface will be incinerated onsite in an enclosed burner and any produced oil will be transported by a licenced haulier to a local refinery.

The well test should take approximately 4-8 weeks to complete. Initial works to set up the well test will be undertaken during daytime hours (07:00-18:00) and the flow testing operations will be conducted 24-hours a day.

The current planning permission for the WNA site is a temporary permission which allows for the drilling and testing of up to two wells but does not provide for the continued production of hydrocarbons after the well test.

Any future plans for the site would be determined based on the information gained through the well test and obtaining the necessary regulatory permissions.

27th June 2019

West Newton A-2 Update

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited has recently completed the drilling operations at the West Newton A site. The West Newton A-2 well was drilled to a total depth of 2,061 m MD into the top of the Westphalian Coal Measures. 28 metres of core was cut and recovered from the primary objective Kirkham Abbey reservoir and wireline logs were also acquired over the formation. The well has been cased and cemented to total depth and has been temporarily suspended, pending further evaluation.

The drilling rig and associated equipment have been demobilised from the site. Fosham Road/Piper’s Lane, and the associated footpaths, have been re-opened to the public.

The information acquired while drilling is currently being analysed to inform a well testing programme. Planning permission is in place for an extended well test. Any proposed testing programme would involve much less equipment on site than that required for the drilling programme.

Recent articles in the local media and market releases from Rathlin’s partners describing potentially the largest onshore hydrocarbon discovery since 1973, have many people in the local area naturally wanting to understand what the development of a commercial oil or gas field in the area might involve.

We believe that speculating on the nature and size of a commercial development is premature at this stage, but early signs are encouraging. Firstly, the West Newton A-2 well must be completed and tested to gauge the productive potential for oil or gas from the Kirkham Abbey reservoir.

Secondly, following the testing of the West Newton A-2 well, additional drilling at a new site (West Newton B) will be undertaken to establish the areal extent and continuity of the reservoir formation.

Oil and gas, by their nature, would have different implications in terms of any potential development.

Gas is typically gathered from wellsites and delivered by underground pipelines to local facilities or the national grid. Oil or other produced fluids may be trucked from sites to local facilities.

The number and location of potential sites and number of wells per site required to develop a field would depend on a number of factors including East Riding planning permissions, Environment Agency permits, development plan approval by the Oil and Gas Authority, surface factors such as the location of residences, businesses and road networks and subsurface factors such as reservoir areal extent and effective reservoir drainage.

Until the West Newton A-2 well is tested and we have an understanding of its productive capability it is premature to speculate on what any potential development may involve.
Once the testing operation commences it will take approximately 4-8 weeks. During operations the site will be manned by both operational and security personnel.

Once test results are available and have been analysed, we will update our local neighbours and discuss the implications of those test results.

At this time, Rathlin’s planning permissions and EA permits allow for testing the wells at the West Newton A site. Any further drilling or production is not permitted and has not been applied for. Current planning permission and EA permits for the West Newton B site allow for site construction, drilling and testing of 2 wells. Additional drilling or production is not permitted and has not been applied for.

17th June 2019

West Newton update:

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited is pleased to announce that the West Newton A-2 well has reached a total depth of 2,061 metres in the top of the Westphalian Coal Measures.

Initial results are encouraging. 28 metres of core was cut and recovered in the Kirkham Abbey reservoir formation. Wireline logs have also been acquired.

The well has been cased and cemented to total depth and will now be temporarily suspended, pending further evaluation.

Over the next week the drilling rig and associated equipment will be demobilised from site.

The information acquired while drilling will now be analysed to inform a potential well testing programme. Planning permission is in place for an extended well test.

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited would like to thank nearby neighbours for their understanding during the drilling phase.

15th June 2019

Temporary Traffic Regulation Order

A Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TRO), restricting access on Fosham Road and Piper’s Lane, has been processed by East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Highways Department and will come into effect on 1st July 2019 (when the current ‘Emergency Order’ expires).

The TRO will be in place for up to 18 months, but access to the route will only be restricted when the West Newton A site is operational.

The TRO enables local residents and businesses to access their properties as well as the emergency services.

The TRO also restricts access to footpaths surrounding Fosham Road and Piper’s Lane (at a distance of approx. 100 metres) for a period of six months. These changes will temporarily affect walkers, pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.

10th June 2019

Fosham Road and Piper’s Lane road closure

On Monday 10 June 2019, East Riding of Yorkshire Council issued an emergency road closure for the ‘Temporary Prohibition of Through Traffic’ for Piper’s Lane and Fosham Road.

The closure is due to the likelihood of danger to the public, or of serious damage to the road, not attributable to operations.

Recently, Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited has witnessed a number of incidents which have put road users in danger and, to mitigate against this, has applied to close the road.

The road closure will be administered by traffic management personnel contracted to Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited and access will be maintained at all times for pedestrian and vehicles to properties directly affected by the closure and for the emergency services. However, the route will be closed to all other persons whether on foot, pedal cycle, horseback or any other vehicle. This is not a through road and therefore there is no alternative route.

The Order covers the full extent of Piper’s Lane, Marton and Fosham Road, Withernwick together with parts of the footpaths adjoining the highways (approximately 100 metres). The closure will continue for a period of twenty-one (21) days to 30 June 2019. It is an offence to contravene a Road Traffic Order.

If you have any questions, please contact Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited via www.rathlin-energy.co.uk or call the office on: 0207 2689860. Alternatively, you can speak with East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Highways Customer Care Team on: 01482 393939.

26th April 2019

The West Newton A-2 appraisal well, targeting the Kirkham Abbey Shoal and Cadeby Reef formations, was spud at 01:45am on Friday 26 April 2019.

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited is the well operator and has a working interest of 66.67% in PEDL183.

The well will be drilled to a total depth of approximately 2,061 metres below ground level.

This phase of operations is expected to take approximately eight weeks to complete.

12th April 2019

This week, Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited mobilised the drilling rig and associated equipment to the West Newton site.

As of 13 April 2019, operations on the site will be suspended pending the arrival of additional equipment.

The site will be continuously manned by security and rig personnel.

Once site operations recommence they will continue 24-hours a day for approximately eight weeks.

We appreciate peoples’ understanding of our work and we aim to keep disruption to our neighbours to a minimum.

8th April 2019

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited has [today] started the mobilisation of the main drilling rig to the West Newton A site on Fosham Road to drill the West Newton A-2 well. This phase of operations will involve a typical oil and gas well drilling rig ~35 metres in height (pictured below) and associated equipment.

The borehole will be drilled, cased and cemented to a depth of approximately 2,000 metres to evaluate two conventional reservoir formations in the Permian section. Previous data gathered during the drilling of the West Newton A-1 well indicate the potential for gas and oil in these reservoir formations.

The site will be manned at all times by security and drilling personnel.

Once the main drilling operation begins, it will take approximately eight weeks during which time the site will be active for 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

On completion of the main borehole drilling, the well will either be suspended pending further testing or plugged and abandoned if unsuccessful.

The West Newton Community Liaison group, which consists of Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited personnel and representatives from the local community, meet to discuss the company’s operations and any concerns. Notes from these meetings are published on this website in the Yorkshire section.

4th December 2018

Update: West Newton A site

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited is pleased to announce that East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s planning committee approved the extension of the permission for the West Newton A site, for a further three years, until 19 November 2021. The company plans to drill its next conventional well from the existing West Newton A site. The West Newton A-2 well will follow up on the WNA-1 gas discovery, and will drill to a depth of approximately 2,000m to test the conventional Permian carbonate reservoirs. The deeper (3,000m) shale layers play no part in Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited’s programme of works which for clarity does not involve shale gas.

5th November 2018

News Update

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited is pleased to confirm that a farmin agreement has been signed with Union Jack Oil plc (“Union Jack”) and Humber Oil and Gas Limited (“Humber”) regarding a partnership in PEDL183.

The terms of the proposal would see Union Jack and Humber each acquire a 16.665% working interest in PEDL183, subject to the approval of the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA).

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited would remain as the operator of PEDL183.

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited is also pleased to confirm that it has secured an additional £3MM equity investment from Reabold Resources Plc. (“Reabold”), subject to completion of the Union Jack and Humber farmin.

The Reabold investment, together with the farmin, will fund the drilling of an appraisal well on the conventional West Newton Permian carbonate gas discovery, in Q1 2019.

Shale gas and fracking form no part of Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited’s drilling and appraisal programme.

The resource estimates and financial figures quoted in the Union Jack and Reabold press releases on November 5th 2018 are consistent with Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited’s Competent Person’s Report (CPR) prepared by Deloitte LLP and Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited’s internal estimates.

The Union Jack and Reabold press releases can be found on their respective websites.

3rd October 2018

PEDL183 Update

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited is pleased to confirm that the company is currently in discussions with Union Jack Oil plc (“Union Jack”) and Humber Oil and Gas Limited (“Humber”) regarding a partnership in PEDL183.

The terms of the proposal could see Union Jack and Humber each acquire a 16 2/3 % working interest in PEDL183, subject to finalising deal terms and the approval of the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA).

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited would remain as the operator of PEDL183.

Resource estimates and financial figures quoted in Union Jack’s press release (http://unionjackoil.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/UJ_RathlinOpportunityPres_Oct2018.pdf) on October 3rd 2018 are consistent with Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited’s Competent Person’s Report (CPR) prepared by Deloitte LLP and Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited’s internal estimates.

10th September 2018

West Newton A Update

Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited will be seeking an extension to its planning permission for the West Newton A site. The details are expected to be published by East Riding of Yorkshire Council sometime this week (week commencing 10 September 2018).

12th July 2018

PEDL 183 Update

Rathlin’s work programme for PEDL 183, issued by the OGA, has recently been updated as noted:

1st August 2016

West Newton B Update

The Environment Agency has issued Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited (Rathlin) with environmental permits that form part of the necessary permissions required to undertake activities associated with drilling and well testing operations proposed for the West Newton B wellsite. These permits include standard rules RSR and Oil Storage permits and a bespoke Mining Waste permit not including a waste facility. The incineration of natural gas and the discharge of clean surface run-off water are permitted within the bespoke Mining Waste permit. These permits contain a pre-operational condition that must be satisfied prior to commencement of drilling operations and two additional conditions that must be satisfied prior to commencement of well testing operations. Specific information regarding these permits will be available on the Environment Agency’s public register of data.

There are a number of other regulatory authorities whose requirements also need to be satisfied prior to project commencement, including the discharge of planning conditions set by East Riding of Yorkshire within the June 2015 planning permission for the West Newton B site, notification of the Health and Safety Executive and well consent from the Oil and Gas Authority.
The granting of these environmental permits brings Rathlin a step closer to starting work at West Newton B later in the year.

Plans have been developed to keep the effects of all operations upon local communities to a minimum. Traffic management will play an important part in this and a plan is in place, which will reduce the local impact for the very short period of the exploratory operations.
Below is the Environment Agency’s press release.

news release ea

1 August 2016

Rathlin is granted permits for exploratory drilling site in East Yorkshire
The Environment Agency has granted environmental permits to allow Rathlin to carry out exploratory drilling at a site in East Yorkshire.

The decision follows a rigorous assessment of Rathlin Energy UK Ltd’s proposals, as well as all comments submitted during a public consultation.

The company is proposing to drill a well for conventional gas exploration, to burn any gas produced during the drilling or testing of the well in a flare, and to discharge clean surface water from the site. The company has not applied to carry out fracking, and the permits do not allow fracking to take place.

The permits set out the conditions that Rathlin must follow in order to protect groundwater, surface water and air quality and to ensure the safe storage, management and disposal of waste materials.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “After completing a thorough assessment of Rathlin’s application and all of the responses to our public consultation, we are confident that these environmental permits set out the right conditions to ensure that people and the environment are protected.

“We will stringently enforce the conditions of the permits to ensure that waste is managed properly and local water resources are protected.”

ENDSFor media enquiries please call the Yorkshire press office on 0800 9179243
Normal office hours are 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday
This number can be used out of hours for urgent enquiries only

Email us: Communications_Yorkshire@environment-agency.gov.uk
Follow us on Twitter: @EnvAgencyYNE
Visit our website: www gov.uk/environment-agency
Read our blog: environmentagency.blog.gov.uk

CRAWBERRY HILL UPDATE

1st August 2016

The Environment Agency has confirmed that Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited’s environmental permits at Crawberry Hill have now been surrendered. The company will now implement the five year aftercare programme at the site. The Environment Agency’s press release is included below.

news release ea

1 August 2016

Former drilling site restored to agricultural land
A redundant exploratory drilling site in East Yorkshire has been restored to its previous state of agricultural land.

The Environment Agency has accepted the surrender of the environmental permit for the well site at Crawberry Hill, near Beverley, after Rathlin Energy UK Ltd decided to discontinue using the borehole.

Rathlin built the well pad and drilled a borehole as part of its oil and gas exploration work in Yorkshire, although the borehole was not used to produce oil or gas and it is no longer required by the company.

The operator’s environmental permit for this site, issued by the Environment Agency, required the site to be fully restored before the permit could be surrendered.

The company has decommissioned the borehole in line with HSE regulations, removed the well pad, and landscaped the land in line with the agricultural environment in which it sits.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “Our permitting process is designed to ensure that oil and gas operations do not put the environment or communities at risk of harm. The rules apply for the lifetime of the permit – and when Rathlin decided not to continue using this borehole, it had to demonstrate that the site had been properly restored. This has now been done to a satisfactory standard.”

ENDSFor media enquiries please call the Yorkshire press office on 0800 9179243
Normal office hours are 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday
This number can be used out of hours for urgent enquiries only

Email us: Communications_Yorkshire@environment-agency.gov.uk
Follow us on Twitter: @EnvAgencyYNE
Visit our website: www gov.uk/environment-agency
Read our blog: environmentagency.blog.gov.uk

CRAWBERRY HILL UPDATE

12th April 2016

The restoration work at the Crawberry Hill site has now been completed.

These are pictures of how the site now looks:

The next step is for East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s planning department to visit the site before we formally relinquish the environmental permits to the Environment Agency – a process that is estimated to take six to eight weeks.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council has now closed out the Temporary Road Order (the speed restriction) along Walkington Heads and we have taken some soil samples from the site surface which will be analysed as part of the site closure plan. The field will then be subject to a comprehensive five-year aftercare programme.

West Newton A Update

26th November 2015

Natural Gas Discovery at West Newton Confirmed

A spokesperson for Rathlin Energy (UK) Limited, said: “We are pleased that the planning committee was minded (unanimously) to approve our planning application for an extension at West Newton A. The well we drilled there discovered natural gas. We believe this to be firm evidence of a potentially significant gas field in the Permian Kirkham Abbey formation. The approval today is an important step in our programme of operations to determine whether the gas discovery has commercial potential. We will continue to carry out our works in accordance with our permits.”

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