Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what (a) seismological, (b) geological and (c) other assessments have been made of the effect of fracking on the safety of nuclear facilities at Salwick and Heysham.

No specific studies have been carried out on the effect of fracking on the safety of nuclear facilities at Salwick and Heysham but a study was conducted in 2011/12 and consulted upon, which lead to the introduction of a “traffic light” regime for hydraulic fracturing activities, which will ensure that operations are quickly halted and reviewed if unusual levels of seismic activity are observed:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/48330/5055-preese-hall-shale-gas-fracturing-review-and-recomm.pdf.

The level of seismicity at which operations are halted has been set at a precautionary extremely low level in order that events that could be felt at the surface are avoided.