Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
With insucient public information and sometimes animosity
towards shale gas, drillers need to consider developing corporate social
responsibility programs tailored to the needs of the communities local to
drilling, with especial consideration towards environmental initiatives.
Worldwide, shale gas has had a significant and growing impact on gas
production and looks likely to rapidly transform the energy situation.
In Europe, Poland and France have the largest reserves; Poland has
embarked on a program to exploit its shale gas reserves. France, on the
other hand, has outlawed the hydraulic fracturing technology vital to
shale gas on environmental grounds.
The UK's shale gas reserves are unlikely to be large enough to be a
''game changer''; however, they would contribute to gas security and
the UK's energy mix, as well as being perceived as a lower-carbon al-
ternative to coal-fired electricity generation.
There are already substantial reserves of gas available worldwide;
however, the development of these unconventional gases, which are
often in more politically stable parts of the world, may provide a greater
security of supply to the Western World going forward.
1 Introduction
As the existing conventional gas supplies have started to decline in some parts
of the western world, the search has been on for alternative secure sources of
supply. One of the most exciting developments in the last 20 years in the
natural gas sector has been the development of unconventional gases and, in
particular, the exploration and production of shale gas. The existence of shale
gas has been known for decades but technological diculties and substantial
financial costs associated with its extraction have up until recently made its
exploitation uneconomic. However, increased demand and lagging supply
have resulted in the price of gas rising to the point where, along with the
development of advances in drilling, shale gas has started to represent a viable
alternative to conventional sources of supply. Shale gas is now being produced
in large quantities in the USA as their industry has developed over the last
decade. Exploitation of reserves is now progressing in other parts of the world,
including Poland and Australia. In addition, exploration is starting in other
countries including the UK but the development of shale gas production,
which often includes hydraulically fracturing of the rock (otherwise known as
fracking), is not without its opponents. In America the film, Gasland,raised
issues relating to problems associated with fracking which has caused some
people to have environmental concerns. In some countries, such as France, an
embargo has been placed on fracking and even within the USA some states are
not as yet permitting it. There have been reports of ground-water contamin-
ation which has resulted in illnesses, gas coming out of water taps, and
earthquakes caused by fracking. However, in many parts of the world shale
gas is seen as a secure source of hydrocarbon that cannot be ignored.
