A GUIDE TO
SHALE AND
FRACKING
WHAT IS
SHALE GAS?
WHAT IS
FRACKING?
The UK is estimated to have
large shale gas resources,
with more than 1,300 trillion
cubic feet (TCF) believed to
be concentrated across the
north of England in an area
known as the Bowland region.
There are further volumes to
be found in central Scotland
and significant amounts
of oil in the Weald Basin
in Southern England.
Natural gas has been
heating our homes,
cooking our meals and
generating our electricity
for decades.
Fracking releases the
hard-to-extract gas.
It
involves drilling down
into the shale rock, then
pumping fluid to create
tiny fractures in the rock
to allow the gas to flow.
in the 1940s.
80%
SHALE
FAST
FACTS
of UK homes use natural gas for…
heating
The UK has been fracking
in the North Sea
hot
water
cooking
since the 1970s.
Sandstone
Shale gas deposits are
1000s of feet below
the surface.
Shale rock
The term shale gas can
be misleading — the gas
found in shale rock is
no different to the gas
found in sandstone. The
difference is how it’s
extracted.
Fracking fluid
is composed
of 99.95%
water and
sand with a
very small
proportion of
a non-toxic
lubricant
also added.
2.5km
Multiple layers of steel
and concrete contain the gas
on its way to the surface.
The industry is
strongly regulated
2.5km
by 2025…
it is predicted that the UK will
be dependent on imports for
70% of the gas we need.
WHY NOT
TURN TO
RENEWABLES?
Renewables are an important
source of electricity for the
UK, but gas is the primary
heat source and also provides
Renewable energy is not in a position
27% of our electricity. Both
to immediately meet the shortfall
renewables and gas will be
Despite lots of new renewable
needed for a balanced and low
products coming online, in 2012 they
carbon
energy
mix.
only
contributed
4.1%
of the uk’s
overall demand
DECC (Department for Energy
and Climate Change)
Minerals Planning Authority
The fractures created
are only several mm
wide and held open by
grains of sand.
of our electricity
is generated
by gas.
Environment Agency
Health and Safety Executive
(Equivalent regulators for Scotland,
Wales and Northern Ireland).
RID
HE B GING
ST
TODAY
A LOW CARBON
FUTURE
Producing
electricity
fronthe
natural gas
Gas produces
HALF
is HALF as carbon intensive as coal
emissions of coal.
WHAT DOES
IT MEAN
£
FOR
LOCAL
COMMUNITIES?
£
IMPACT
Fracking takes
place on a well
pad,
which is typically around the
size of two football pitches.
50
During shale gas
exploration traffic is
predicted to peak at 50
HGV movements per
day. This would likely
take place in short
bursts of 1 week or so.
BENEFITS
£
£
££
£
£
£
£
EL
FU
This is where hydraulic
fracturing (often known
as fracking) comes in.
27%
The Royal Society and Royal
Academy of Engineering
found in 2012 that the risks
from fracking are low, if
properly regulated.
The well is
around six
inches in
diameter.
Shale rock is highly
impermeable making it
hard for the trapped gas
to escape.
Brought to you by
Hydraulic fracturing of wells
was pioneered in the US
I
This guide will take you
through the key questions
faced by the industry and
will look at whether shale
gas should play a role
in the UK energy mix.
WHY IS IT
NEEDED?
GAS
Demand for gas in the UK
is around 3 TCF per year so
while it is unclear how much
gas could be recoverable,
even just a small portion
of the resource could help
to secure future supplies.
Shale also presents an
important opportunity to
create long-term skilled jobs
and boost the economy.
Natural gas is often
found in porous rock
like sandstone.
IS IT
SAFE?
Community benefits
of £100,000 per
fracked well and 1% of
production revenues.
Locally retained
business rates to the
relevant County Council.
Potentially thousands
of skilled and well
paid jobs.
50
50
50
Local supply chain
development.
SHALE GAS FAST FACTS Q& A
ISN’T SHALE GAS BAD
FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?
!
WHAT IF SOMETHING
GOES WRONG?
33 A number of leading academic and regulatory bodies have assessed
the potential risks of shale gas to the environment and found them
to be low. The Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering said
in 2012: “The health, safety and environmental risks associated with
hydraulic fracturing (often termed ‘fracking’) as a means to extract
shale gas can be managed effectively in the UK as long as operational
best practices are implemented and enforced through regulation.”
33 Leading scientific bodies have identified that
the risk of something “going wrong” in shale gas
extraction is low, as long as regulation is robust.
The common fears around water contamination;
earthquakes and polluting the environment are
highly unlikely, given the evidence to date and
regulations in place.
33 Public Health England also found in a report in 2013 that “the
currently available evidence indicates that the potential risks to
public health in the vicinity of shale gas extraction sites will be low
if shale gas extraction is properly run and regulated.”
33 Operators will undertake monitoring before,
during and after operations. In addition to regulatory control, on
Cuadrilla’s sites in Lancashire this information will be monitored
and made public by the British Geological Survey, one of the world’s
leading geological organisations.
33 Finally, the Committee on Climate Change has identified that gas
is essential to our energy mix and plays a key role in meeting our
climate change obligations to 2050, in part by supporting the move
away from coal.
!
WILL FRACKING POLLUTE
MY WATER SUPPLY?
33 Wells are designed and constructed in accordance with regulations
and industry guidelines. They will have multiple barriers between the
groundwater and deep underlying production zones. The well design
will be reviewed by an independent well examiner and the Health and
Safety Executive. The Royal Society has concluded that pollution of
water supply is highly unlikely.
WHAT ABOUT ALL THE WATER
THAT’S REQUIRED?
33 Water consumption is fully licensed and monitored for sustainability.
In the event of a drought, water would be cut off well before residents
and farmers would see any impact on their supplies.
33!But, the water used in fracking is not significant when looked at in
perspective. The Royal Society estimated that to operate a fracked
well for a decade may be equivalent to the amount needed to water
a golf course for a month, or the amount needed to run a 1,000 MW
coal-fired power plant for 12 hours.
I HAVE HEARD THAT HUNDREDS OF
CHEMICALS ARE USED IN FRACKING?
33 Fracking fluid typically comprises 99.95% water, sand and
0.05% lubricant such as polyacrylamide – also used to
make contact lenses. Sand is added to keep open the shale
!fractures that are created by the fracking process. All the
chemicals used in fracking are classified as non-hazardous
and approved by the Environment Agency.
DOESN’T FRACKING
CAUSE EARTHQUAKES?
33 The UK regularly experiences naturally occurring tremors, and these
are particularly common in areas like Lancashire where the rock has
lots of faults. Pumping water into the rock, as happens in fracking,
can lubricate existing faults and make them move sooner than they
otherwise would.
33 Independent experts at the British Geological Survey have estimated
that the maximum likely tremor as a result of fracking would be in the
region of magnitude 3 because “weak rocks like shale break easily so
!they do not allow enough tension to build to generate big tremors”.
The BGS define magnitude 3 as “similar to the passing of a truck”.
33 During fracturing operations, seismic activity at the site will be
monitored. A traffic light system, determines whether the injection of
water is safe to proceed.
TRAFFIC LIGHT MONITORING SYSTEM
M0.0 on Richter scale injection proceeds
M0.0 — 0.5 on Richter scale injection proceeds
with caution
M0.5 on Richter scale injection suspended
immediately
When an earthquake reaches M2.0 on the Richter scale it would
still only be detected by sensitive monitoring equipment.
Sources: British Geological Survey, Cuadrilla, Department of Energy and Climate Change, Institute of
Directors, Royal Academy of Engineering, Royal Society and United Kingdom Onshore Oil and Gas.
WHAT WILL SHALE EXPLORATION
MEAN FOR LOCAL TRAFFIC?
33 Heavy goods vehicles are mainly involved in the construction phase
of a shale drilling area. Once the gas is flowing there is very little
equipment required on site and traffic will therefore be very limited.
33 Unlike most US fracking sites, the UK can use pipelines to deliver most
!of its water requirements to sites.
HOW DOES THIS AFFECT RENEWABLE
ENERGY PROJECTS?
33 Gas complements renewables and nuclear in the transition away from
!coal as it provides flexible and affordable backup supply for when the
wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining.
33 In the US shale gas and renewables have grown hand in hand.
Between 2005 and 2011 electricity generation from wind increased by
435% in the 15 shale gas producing states.
?
WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DON’T FRACK?
3 It will increase our reliance on imported
gas. North Sea oil and gas production
has been in steep decline for the last
decade and the UK now imports over
half of the gas that we use, rising to
over 70% by 2030. It’s estimated that
UK shale gas could halve our import
requirements by 2030.
WILL DRILLING TAKE PLACE
UNDER MY HOME?
33 No shale gas drilling can take place in an area before your local
Council and a series of expert regulators including the Department
for Energy and Climate Change, the Health and Safety Executive and
the Environment Agency, have approved the plans. This approval
process includes local consultations.
33 Once a company has planning permission they are not able to drill
on or under your land to a depth of 300m without your permission.
However, companies are able to drill underground without
permission at depths in excess of 300m. Fracking usually takes
place at a depth of 1,000m–2,500m, which is over ten times the
height of Big Ben and six times the height of the Blackpool tower.
In Scotland no drilling is allowed under homes without consent and
there are proposals to devolve powers to the Welsh Government on
permitting shale gas drilling.