Power Generation

Energy company Cuadrilla Resources has claimed that there is a huge shale gas field in Lancashire, in the northwest of England.

According to news reports, preliminary drilling around Blackpool indicates that there is 200 trillion cubic feet of gas, enough to trigger a ‘shale gas’ goldrush like that sweeping the US. In a report, the company claims that the deposits could create thousands of jobs in the region.

But while UK Energy Minister Charles Hendry said in an article in The Guardian newspaper yesterday that it is worth exploring the potential of shale gas, the finding is worrying environmentalists.

Green groups are wary of fracking, the process used to extract shale gas that involves injecting a high pressure mixture of sand, water and chemicals into the deposit, because of concerns about contamination of water supplies.

Earlier this year, Cuadrilla had to halt its test drilling following two tremors in the region, which are currently being investigated by the British Geological Survey.

The practice has been banned in some parts of the US, Canada and Switzerland, as well as France, which reportedly has large shale gas deposits, because of environmental concerns.

But Hendry says that shale gas exploration in the UK is governed by “one of the most robust and stringent regulatory frameworks in the world”, with any application subject to planning permission and scrutiny by the Environment Agency.

Environmental groups are also concerned that a ‘dash for gas’ could deflect focus and investment away from renewable energy development.

“Drilling for shale gas raises serious safety concerns and risks polluting water supplies – and it could take vital funding away from the clean energy solutions we know are safe and will work,” says Friends of the Earth campaigner Tony Bosworth. “There should be no more fracking in Britain until safety and environmental concerns have been properly addressed.”