Shale gas sourced through fracking has driven down energy costs in the United States but plans for similar work in the UK are not universally popular. Dissenting voices question the environmental impact and also ask whether British consumers would gain the same economic benefits as Americans.
“Fracking”, the drilling and hydraulic fracturing of shale rock to release natural gas, has changed the face of American energy production. Recent figures confirm that the United States is now the world’s second largest natural gas producer, marginally behind Russia, with an output four times greater than the combined total of the European Union.
The environmental argument against fracking often seems to generate as much energy as the process itself. Representatives of Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth insist that not only would it cause great damage to the environment, but that the economic benefits for Britain and for Europe are hazy. It’s been pointed out by campaigners and also by politicians that energy self-sufficiency, now a realistic prospect for the United States, will remain unattainable for Britain regardless of where or how we drill. But fracking could radically alter the energy mix. The question is, by how much and at what cost? A recent Institute of Directors report estimated that 76% of Britain’s gas would be imported by 2030, at a cost of £15.6 billion. The same report gauged that hydraulic fracturing to unearth shale gas could dramatically reduce this dependency, resulting in import levels of only 37% by 2030 with a potential saving in excess of £8 billion.
Shale gas is believed to be less plentiful in Europe than in the United States, and greater population density will make it less straightforward to extract, but the report’s bottom line was that a concerted, sustained investment could create a new British industry worth £4 billion a year and generating over 70,000 jobs.
British observers have no shortage of information on the impact of fracking in the United States and the argument is not black and white. While New York has said a loud “no” to drillers, neighbouring Pennsylvania has said yes. Hydraulic fracturing jobs offer an average salary of $62,000, which is $20,000 higher than the state average. And many Pennsylvania farmers whose land has been converted for drilling have invested their payment in solar panels to promote renewable energy.
On the debit side, Pennsylvania’s economic regeneration has been accompanied by stories of environmental contamination, with entire communities no longer believing it is safe to drink their own running water.
As British energy companies prepare to drill at sites in Lancashire and West Sussex, government and communities are left with challenging choices. The practice of burning off flammable gas, known as “flaring” could see gas pipes towering over the landscape, burning naked flames. But it could also see a generation of British workers gainfully and lucratively employed in a sector that drastically reduces dependency on imported energy. Is this our 21st century industrial revolution? As with most interesting questions, there are no easy answers.
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