‘Frightening’ earthquake at Cornwall’s Eden Project forces halt to drilling

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It said that since the start of injection testing in late January, there had been over 300 low-level seismic events. 

It added that it operates on levels that reflect the thresholds defined by Cornwall Council for quarry blasting and mining in the local area. 

Local residents reported feeling their houses shake on Wednesday night. 

Helen Franks, who thought something had crashed into her house or that her chimney had collapsed, said: “It felt like my house had been dropped, it did not feel good. 

“This does not bode well and does not engender a sense of trust.”

Belinda Waldock, another local resident, said: “Operations should be immediately stopped, not just paused. Eden has caused a frightening and significant seismic event in our local area that has frightened people, pets and damaged property.” 

Kim Cassap Haynes said: “We were told this wouldn’t happen, you have a community right on your doorstep that would like answers and full transparency.”

Gus Grand, from Eden Geothermal, told the BBC on Thursday that the level of earthquake experienced “is very common in the UK”.

He added: “We’re not talking about anything that should cause anybody any worry which is why we put out a statement and stopped pumping for the moment.” 

Call for return to fracking

The event came as the Government faces calls to lift restrictions on fracking for shale gas in the UK, which was halted after a 2.9 magnitude quake from a site in Lancashire in 2019. 

The fracking industry has argued that different standards are being applied to geothermal projects than to shale gas extraction. 

Eden Geothermal hopes its project, which is backed by the EU and Cornwall Council, will herald the way for a new renewable and industry sector in Cornwall and the UK. 

Credit: Source link

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