Plans by fuel giant Shell to search for gas off Scarborough are put on hold

Plans to look for gas off the Scarborough coast have been put on hold.
Photo: Getty ImagesPhoto: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images

Fuel giant Shell was looking at carrying out a seismic survey in the North Sea in February.

But the company says those plans have been postponed.

A spokesperson for Shell said: “We will not be gathering seismic data off the coast of North Yorkshire in February. We will review options in the near future.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The firm is understood to have been planning to look at an area of the North Sea where natural gas has already been found.

The aim of the survey would have been to assess whether more gas could be present so that in time it could be brought onshore at Teesside to be used by UK homes and businesses, and in electricity generation.

A seismic survey is a low-impact method of gathering information about the location and characteristics of geological structures beneath the seabed.

An acoustic signal is generated on board a survey vessel, which is picked up by sensors towed behind the vessel as the signal bounces back off the rocks under the seabed.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

All seismic surveys in the UK are carried out in strict adherence to the Joint Nature Conservation Committee guidelines on minimising disturbance during geophysical surveys.

The survey would typically last a few weeks.