New report shows the way for shale gas development, says the UK Onshore Operators Group
22 May 2013
UK Onshore Oil and Gas, (UKOOG), the representative body for the UK onshore oil and gas industry, today welcomes the findings of a newly published report, “Getting shale gas working” from the Institute of Directors (IoD). Ken Cronin Chief Executive of UKOOG commented, “this report makes useful recommendations as to how barriers that currently stand in the way of development can be removed to the advantage of local authorities, communities and the industry. We now need to progress with exploratory drilling in order to ascertain how much of the UK’s significant onshore deposits can be technically and commercially recovered.
Shale oil and gas reserves are essential to increase the UK’s energy security and the IoD is right to point out that planning and grid connections are potential barriers to gaining the maximum economic benefits.”
The IoD’s projections show that the onshore oil and gas industry could make an important contribution to the future growth of the UK economy once it is in full production including job creation, import reduction, generation of tax revenue and the creation of a supply chain. It also reveals important information about lower emissions, land and water use that dispel myths about the amount of water and number of sites that would be needed to supply the UK’s future energy needs.
The industry is committed to ensuring that local authorities and the communities they represent will benefit from the developments in their areas. We recognise that the industry has to operate to the highest possible standards and have already published shale well guidelines stating operators must publically disclose all chemical additives to fracturing fluids on a well by well basis.
Ken Cronin added “The onshore oil and gas industry has been operating safely and in cooperation with local communities for over 150 years at many locations across the country, from Scotland to the south east of England. This has been carried out with regulation provided by DECC, HSE and the Environment Agency. The British people deserve to know whether we can continue to deliver these hydrocarbons in meaningful quantities in a safe and environmentally sensitive manner, and working together we believe this can be done.“
Contact: Ken Cronin: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 020 7680 6550
