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Deadly earthquake renews China’s fracking controversy

The quake has triggered fresh questions about fracking from the public, but China’s NOCs need to keep producing shale gas if they are to hit their gas output targets The quake has triggered fresh questions about fracking from the public, but China’s NOCs need to keep producing shale gas if they are to hit their gas output targets.
By Colin Shek 12 hours ago Asia Pacific / Exploration & Production 0 34331
Rescuers search collapsed buildings in Changning county following the earthquake. (PA)

A strong earthquake in China’s shale gas heartland of Sichuan province on Monday has raised fresh questions about whether fracking for the unconventional fuel is inducing seismicity in the already quake-prone region.

The 6.0-magnitude quake struck at 10:55pm (GMT: 2:55pm) on Monday in Changning county on the southern edge of the Sichuan Basin, where China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) has been fracking since 2010. Horizontal injection wells have been drilled extensively in the area since 2014, while the rate of earthquakes in the Changning block rose...