A new report has stated that more than 6 000 shale gas wells would be needed to replace half of the UK's gas imports over a 15 year period.
The fracking industry in the UK has argued that a growing reliance on gas from Norway and Qatar has made it necessary to develop home-produced supplies in addition to output from the North Sea. Recent arrivals of Russian gas by ship have led advocates of shale to repeat the argument.
Nearly one third of the UK's gas imports are from Qatar, the world's largest producer of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Britain was self-sufficient in gas from the North Sea until 2004, however declining domestic production has meant that 60% of gas is now imported.
Analysis for Friends of the Earth by the Cardiff Business School found that there would need to be at least one well drilled and fracked daily between 2021 and 2035 in order to replace 50% of gas imports. The research found that 6 100 wells on 1 000 well pads would require around 3 560 hectares of land, but it is unlikely that there would be that many wells. The highest estimate came from a 2013 report which forecasted 4 000 wells by 2032. The Government has admitted that last year's estimate of 155 wells by 2024 is already out of date.
Rose Dickinson at Friends of the Earth claimed that this would lead to an industrialisation of the countryside and would put many more communities at risk, however Ken Cronin, chief executive of shale trade body UK Onshore Oil and Gas, said: "This is a poor quality report, which uses data for well productivity which is years out of date and far lower than the current US average to arrive at artificially high numbers of wells."
Shale firm Cuadrilla is currently preparing to frack in Lancashire between July and September, the first time a company has fracked in the UK since 2011.
