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You are here: Home Members Warwick Business School Lowering demand for gas, not fracking, is the answer to UK reliance on imported energy

Lowering demand for gas, not fracking, is the answer to UK reliance on imported energy

Posted by Warwick Business School at 31 March 2022, 23:07 CET |
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Commenting on the North Sea Transition Authority announcement that it was withdrawing the requirement to decommission three Cuadrilla wells,

Michael Bradshaw, Professor of Global Energy at Warwick Business School and co-director of the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC), said:

"Cuadrilla's wells in Lancashire triggered small tremors that prompted the government to impose a moratorium until such time as "the science shows that it is safe, sustainable and of minimal disturbance to those living and working nearby".

"Our research shows it will be difficult for the industry to meet this requirement. This is because the orientation of existing geological faults means they may be more likely to be reactivated during the hydraulic fracturing operations required to extract shale gas from the rocks.

"Even if the moratorium on fracking were to be lifted, it would take years of drilling before production could begin – far from the quick fix that some are calling for. By that time, the UK may not even need the gas: to meet the targets of a totally green power system by 2035 and a net zero economy by 2050, the nation's gas consumption will have to fall dramatically.

"The public has largely either been uninterested or against shale gas all along. Given the 2050 net zero target, it is even less likely to support developing a new fossil fuel resource onshore now. In the UK government's latest public attitudes tracker, 45% opposed shale gas development and only 17% supported it.

"The inconvenient truth is that there are no easy ways to increase domestic gas supply in the UK. The North Sea is mature and the emphasis is on maximising recovery of remaining reserves as production continues to decline. The UK's dependence on gas imports is set to keep increasing, reaching 70% by the end of this decade.

"The answer is not more gas supply, it's less gas demand. While taking the UK's foot off the gas will take time and cost money, in the long term it will free the country from fossil fuel price volatility and reliance on importing a large share of its energy."

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