Drilling needed to hone UK shale-gas estimates

Environmental concerns have hindered collecting data on UK shale-gas resources

A lack of fresh data on UK shale-gas resources, caused mainly by delays to exploration drilling due to environmental concerns, means accurate assessments of the sector’s potential remain as elusive as ever. However, drillers are adamant that if they do get the green light, there is little danger that the industry will repeat mistakes made in the early development of the US shale industry.  The government-financed British Geological Survey (BGS) has estimated there could be 37 trillion cubic metres (cm) of shale gas resource – ie total gas, whether recoverable or not – in the Bowland shale and surrounding areas of northern England alone. However, scientists are at pains to point out that such