A new government report prepared by the British Geological Survey suggests that shale gas reserves beneath Yorkshire, Cheshire and Lancashire could be twice as large as originally thought. The estimated 130 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas could provide 40 to 45 years worth of UK gas demand.
The UK governemnt seem determined to fast-track fracking facilities to exploit this new potential energy source. George Osborne recently announced measures to enable shall gas drilling as part of increased infrastructure funding. The Chancellor also promised incentives for local communities who will have to accommodate drilling and fracking facilities, something which has caused widespread concern.
Doubts have also been raised as to whether shale gas will mean a reduction in energy bills for UK consumers. Shale gas will also not help the government with their failing carbon targets.
Experimental fracking near Blackpool was known to have caused local earthquakes, a fear often cited by critics of fracking. Whilst the government refer to geological assessments carried out to justify fracking in the US, detractors are quick to point out that our geology and population density is significantly different. Clearly, there is someway to go before fracking will be accepted as a mainstream source of energy.