Fracking could ‘solve UK’s current energy issues’

Fracking could help the UK solve many of its energy issues and is already “far more regulated” than the US. That’s according to an environmental consultancy, which believes the permitting […]

Fracking could help the UK solve many of its energy issues and is already “far more regulated” than the US.

That’s according to an environmental consultancy, which believes the permitting and licensing proposals in the UK for fracking demand the highest standards for site safety and environmental management and comparing it with the US is “unjustified”. It also suggests due to the technological advancements in the field, the UK can use “state of the art” fracking techniques which offer “safer and more tightly controlled” processes.

Fracking is a technique used to extract gas and involves pumping high-pressured water into tight layers of rock deep underground.

Matt Travis, Director at Enzygo said: “Providing it is fully regulated and our blueprint for extraction is followed, then fracking should cause no more issues than the extraction of other minerals. There is no doubt that the lax state of affairs in the US has demonstrated the harm that can be done without proper environmental safety procedures and regulation but this will not be the case in the UK going forward”.

Enzygo claims it has secured the only two UK fracking licences for its clients from the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) although both are currently on hold. It claims the successful applications have been down to its proposal of using the nitrogen foam fracking method, which uses fewer chemicals and two-thirds less fluid and has far less environmental impact.

It has been estimated the reserve at Bowland Shale in Lancashire could alone cut UK demand on gas imports by as much as 27% and transfer £3.3 billion per year of the nation’s trade balance from debit to credit. Enzygo claims although the British Geological Society has been commissioned by the Government to estimate the amount of shale gas available in the UK, it is “unlikely to reflect the reserves that can be economically recovered”.

The US is believed to have experienced a reduction in price for gas by around 70% since the introduction of fracking in 2008.

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