A GREEN Party politician has called for a Dorset oil well which is releasing methane to be closed down.
As reported, the Perenco-run Kimmeridge well is calculated to have legally released some 284 tonnes of by-product methane into the atmosphere last year, according to the Environment Agency, and has been pumping out the gas since 1961.
Perenco says the well is currently not producing. The firm is seeking a new permit to operate the well, which is expected to come with more strict conditions on emissions.
Green MEP Molly Scott Cato said: "Given the climate emergency we are facing I wholeheartedly support campaigners who want this oil well shut down and its emissions policy reviewed urgently.
"Methane is around 30 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and if it cannot be captured and used then the future of the plant must be in doubt."
The MEP said Dorset politicians had a "cavalier attitude" towards climate change and energy, citing objections to the Navitus wind farm proposal.
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