In a dramatic protest on Monday in Manchester, 50 British fracking protesters delivered a 56-foot wind turbine blade to a test drilling site at 5:30 a.m. to block the entrance before police arrived.
The British government is working in tandem with big energy companies to build more gas-fired power stations across the U.K. Activist Sandra Denton stated, “We’ve delivered this early Christmas gift to IGas to remind them that we don’t need damaging, risky and polluting energy sources like oil and gas to power the U.K.”
IGas is partially controlled by the state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation. The local council has permitted IGas Energy to drill exploratory shale gas wells on privately-held land in Barton Moss outside Manchester. The energy company has not yet been licensed to frack at the sites.
Monday’s protest follows earlier scuffles between police and protesters and several arrests at the Barton Moss site. Clashes also erupted at another exploratory drill site in Balcombe, West Sussex in early 2013.
