APPARENTLY, the UK can frack without busting its climate targets. That's the message from a UK government report released this week. It explores the potential impact of fracking – short for hydraulic fracturing – on greenhouse gas emissions.
But there is a catch: methane leaks are a concern, and fracking will only remain carbon-neutral if companies come up with ways to limit them – by flaring off leaked gas, for instance. The extracted natural gas must also displace, rather than add to, consumption of dirtier fossil fuels.
No commercial fracking operations have yet been given the go-ahead in the UK. But huge amounts of gas could be available, according to the British Geological Survey. In a report last year, it estimated that in the north of England alone, there are 37.7 trillion cubic metres of gas trapped in shale – enough to meet UK needs for more than 40 years.
This article appeared in print under the headline "Frack away UK"
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