UK Secretary of State for Energy Ed Davey set out Monday the case for
shale gas exploration in the country, trying to put the industry back on
track after a summer of protests against fracking.
Davey, speaking to the Royal Society in London, stressed in particular
that shale gas could be explored in line with the UK’s climate change targets.
The government has issued a new report estimating that the carbon
footprint of UK shale gas “would likely be significantly less than coal and
also lower than imported liquefied natural gas.”
Opponents of shale gas have argued that exploiting the UK’s onshore gas
resources could hinder attempts to tackle climate change. There are fears
over potential methane leaks during the production process.
Methane is a more potent global warming gas than carbon dioxide,
although it lasts a shorter period in the atmosphere.
There are also concerns that shale could distract from investment in
renewable energy technologies such as wind and solar.
Throughout the summer, anti-fracking campaigners protested at Cuadrilla
Resource’s onshore oil exploration well at Balcombe in Sussex, southern
England, with the event gaining a high media profile.
Cuadrilla was not fracking at Balcombe at this stage, but is the lead
name associated with the technique in the UK, having carried out fracking for
shale gas in northern England.
GREENHOUSE IMPACT
The UK government said Monday that “with the right safeguards in place,”
the net effect on greenhouse gas emissions from shale gas production in the
UK “will be relatively small.”
Worldwide, the government said shale needs to be accompanied by renewed
international efforts to cut emissions.
“Gas, as the cleanest fossil fuel, is part of the answer to climate
change, as a bridge in our transition to a green future, especially in our
move away from coal,” said Davey.
“This report shows that the continued use of gas is perfectly consistent
with our carbon budgets over the next couple of decades,” he added.
Davey admitted that if shale reached significant levels, the UK would
need to “make extra efforts in other areas,” although he hinted that on a
global level it might not be such an increase.
“By on-shoring production we will be on-shoring the emissions as well,”
Davey said. But if gas was produced in another country and then imported,
that would not have meant there were no emissions on a global level.
Department of Energy and Climate Change Chief Scientific Advisor
Professor David Mackay said: “Our study indicates that shale gas, if properly
regulated, is likely to have a greenhouse gas footprint no worse than the
other fossil fuels that society currently depends on.”
Environmental campaigners would prefer the UK to move away from all
fossil fuels.
–Alex Froley, alex.froley@platts.com
–Edited by Jeremy Lovell, jeremy.lovell@platts.com
Similar stories appear in International Gas Report
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