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What is the consultation about?

The consultation concerns the advancement

of two industries that are at an early stage ofdevelopment in the UK. The Governmentbelieves that shale gas and oil may have thepotential to provide the UK with greaterenergy securi ty, grow th and jobs.Government and local authorities are alsoputting their support behind geothermal districtheating networks as an important part of the

transit ion to low carbon h eat ing.

What is the issue with the existing

system?

The current process is t ime consum ing,uncerta in and cost ly. If a landowner refuses

i th f th l th t

Underground Access

Factsheet

What is the proposal?

Our proposal wouldsignif icant lysimpl i fy the exist ing procedure, whilstensuring that key features (such aspayment) are retained.

1. Right of underground

accessGranting undergrou nd access to landbelow 300 metres (nearly 1000 feet)

f rom the surfaceto companiesexploring and/or extracting oil, gas orgeothermal energy.

2 P t i t f

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i th f th l th t 2 Payment in return for

What else might be below your house?

Communication cables, oil & gas pipes, electricity cables and water pipes all typically run just a

few metres from the surface. The deepest tube station is at around 32 metres (around 100ft)below the surface. Our proposal only relates to access from 300 metres (nearly 1000ft) down.

Other industries use a variety a methods to gain access to underground land, including statutorycompulsory purchase of land and compulsory rights procedures (which can include courtproceedings and may be accompanied by a compensation code).

A similar underground access route to the one we are proposing is the method used for theextraction of coal. Given that deep coal mining has a number of similarities to the extraction ofshale gas and deep geothermal energy, we have considered this in detail when developing ourpolicy.

How communities can engage on projectsGeothermal Energy

Pre-Application EngagementIndustry has committed to engage with local communities prior to submitting any planning

application that involves hydraulic fracturing in the case of oil and gas extraction.Geothermal developers have committed to engage with communities before drilling.

Shale Gas and Oil

Projects with Fracking

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