MOSCOW (MRC) -- Ineos, operator of the Grangemouth petrochemical plant, has started a community consultation process to try to win support for fracking, said BBC.
The development of unconventional gas extraction has been halted by a Scottish government moratorium. Ineos said it was unconcerned about the moratorium and a spokesman promised to drink "a lot of tea in a lot of village halls" to try to win the argument. Shale gas extraction is opposed by environmental campaigners.
Friends of the Earth said Ineos had the budget for "a long and dirty fight", while community and campaign groups could only fight their corner "on a shoestring". The first local consultation meeting has been scheduled for Denny, near Stirling, on 16 April. Other towns in the first phase of meetings include Alloa, Falkirk, Kilsyth, Bishopbriggs and Cumbernauld.
Ineos has bought licences for shale gas exploration across 700 square miles (1,126 sq km) of land in central Scotland but the government moratorium has left a question mark over the future of the industry locally. Ineos said its shale gas information programme would highlight both the issues and benefits of shale gas extraction as well as making the company available to answer questions about its plans for production in Scotland and elsewhere.
Ineos Upstream CEO Gary Haywood said: "The Scottish government wants the public to be fully informed about shale gas production and we are determined to help. "We are launching Scotland's biggest shale gas information programme to make sure that local communities get a chance to hear the facts rather than the myths about shale gas."
The company said as many meetings as possible would be led by its director Tom Pickering. A number of campaign groups oppose fracking.
Mary Church, head of campaigns for Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "Fracking is a dangerous, dirty industry and all the money in the world can't hide that.
As MRC informed before, Ineos announced a deal to acquire a 50% interest in seven IGas shale gas licences in the North West of England (the Bowland licences). This consists of a 60% interest in three Petroleum Exploration & Development Licences (PEDL’s 145, 193 and EXL273) and a 50% interest in a further four licences (PEDL’s 147, 184, 189 and 190). In Scotland, Ineos will acquire IGas’ entire interest in PEDL 133 (the Grangemouth licence) which will give the company 100% ownership of this asset. In addition, Ineos has the option to acquire 20% in two IGas East Midland shale gas licences (PEDL’s 012 and 200).
Ineos Group Limited is a privately owned multinational chemicals company consisting of 15 standalone business units, headquartered in Rolle, Switzerland and with its registered office in Lyndhurst, United Kingdom. It is the fourth largest chemicals company in the world measured by revenues (after BASF, Dow Chemical and LyondellBasell) and the largest privately owned company in the United Kingdom.
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