eologists have reacted to the Authorities lifting the ban on fracking by saying the UK has the “flawed sort of shale” and it was 280 million years too late.
The controversial go-ahead was met with considerations over earthquakes and a rise in greenhouse gasoline manufacturing at a time when the UK had made progress on lowering carbon emissions.
Professor Jon Gluyas, of Durham College, mentioned: “Liz Truss hopes to frack us out of the power disaster by drilling hundreds of wells to provide shale gasoline.
“It received’t work – societal objections apart, we’ve got the flawed sort of shale and geology which is much too complicated.
“Certainly, even the founding father of Cuadrilla – of Lancashire fracking fame just a few years in the past – says the identical.”
Fracking was paused in 2019 following worries about earthquakes in west Lancashire and the Authorities mentioned it will be guided by the science earlier than it was allowed to restart.
However Professor Stuart Haszeldine, a geologist at Edinburgh College, mentioned there had been no advances in predicting the seismic influence of fracturing rock at depth since then.
A lot of the UK’s shale gasoline had merely leaked away by cracks and faults because it was fashioned, he mentioned.
“We’re massively late by 280 million years,” he mentioned.
Prof Haszeldine mentioned native residents could be confronted with long-term worries over earthquakes damaging their properties.
And companies inspired to put money into costly check drilling additionally risked big losses, he mentioned.
“I see this as a really important business threat,” Prof Haszeldine mentioned.
“You may are available and lose a complete pile of cash.”
All the pieces I’ve realized from the oil trade reveals that there are surprises beneath the floor of the Earth. We do not know all the pieces
However Professor Richard Davies, petroleum geologist from Newcastle College, wouldn’t write off the potential of fracking being viable within the UK.
He mentioned: “All the pieces I’ve realized from the oil trade reveals that there are surprises beneath the floor of the Earth.
“We don’t know all the pieces.”
Prof Davies believed corporations could look to the Gainsborough space of Lincolnshire moderately than Lancashire, ought to fracking begin once more.
He mentioned: “Though the UK is criss-crossed with faults, there’s some proof that Midlands is barely easier.”
Prof Gluyas mentioned that whereas a lot focus has been on the north-west of England, two potential websites for fracking improvement have been Somerset, the place Enterprise Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg has his constituency, and shale oil in Norfolk, near the Prime Minister’s constituency.
Prof Gluyas, director of Durham Power Institute, mentioned: “They could similar to to prepared the ground.”
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