By Nia Williams
CALGARY, Alberta, April 7 (Reuters) - Regulators have given
Repsol Oil and Gas Canada the green light to resume hydraulic
fracking at a remote well in Alberta nearly three months after
the region was rocked by an earthquake linked to the fracking,
the company said on Thursday.
The company, a unit of Spanish energy firm Repsol S.A.
REP.MC , said in a statement that it had received Alberta
Energy Regulator's approval to conduct modified flowback
operations with reduced rates of pressure at the well.
Repsol had suspended operations after a 4.8 magnitude quake
on Jan. 12 occurred 18 km (11 miles) north of the town of Fox
Creek. It was the largest earthquake in the area in more than a
year.
The company was conducting hydraulic fracturing at the time
at its site 30 km from Fox Creek. An investigation by the
Alberta Energy Regulator concluded with "high confidence" that
the quake had been caused by fracking, the regulatory agency's
spokesman Riley Bender said by telephone.
Fracking involves injecting water, sand and chemicals deep
underground to break up rock formations.
The renewed work will begin after spring breakup, the period
between April and July when the ground in Alberta thaws, and
will last one to three weeks, Repsol said.
Once flowback work is done the well pad will start producing
oil and gas and Repsol has no further drilling or hydraulic
fracturing planned this year, spokeswoman Berta Gomez said.
(Editing by Fiona Ortiz)