Cuadrilla to Start Fracking First U.K. Well in Seven Years

Cuadrilla Resources Ltd. will begin hydraulic fracturing at its northwest England site in the next week, the first time shale rock has been fracked in the U.K. since 2011.

The move marks a milestone in ambitions to emulate the U.S. shale boom in Britain, were oil and natural gas production from the North Sea has plummeted. The process will take about three months with an initial assessment of shale gas volumes expected in the first quarter of 2019, Cuadrilla said.

“We are confident the flow rates will demonstrate Lancashire can play a major and leading role in safely providing a ...