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Deep concern: MPs claim that fracking will harm the environment
Chemicals giant Ineos has slammed a report from the cross-party Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) that has recommended that shale fracking should be put on hold in the UK due to environmental and safety concerns.
The EAC claimed that fracking was incompatible with climate change targets and could pose significant localised environmental risks to public health. Joan Walley MP, chair of the committee, said: “Ultimately fracking cannot be compatible with our long-term commitments to cut climate changing emissions unless full-scale carbon capture and storage technology is rolled out rapidly, which currently looks unlikely.
“There are also huge uncertainties around the impact that fracking could have on water supplies, air quality and public health.”
The publication of the report provoked an angry response from Ineos which had previously announced plans to invest hundreds of millions of pounds into fracking exploration. The company, which owns the Grangemouth refinery and petrochemicals plant on the Firth of Forth, recently acquired fracking licences covering 729 square miles in Scotland.
Ineos accused the EAC of overly focusing on the potential risks rather than the benefits of shale gas extraction.
Ineos director Tom Crotty said: “This was a missed opportunity. The committee deliberately sought out views that focused on concerns about water quality, emissions and geological integrity, and so produced a partisan and partial report.
“The committee refused to see Ineos and didn’t look hard enough at the massive decline in the UK’s manufacturing base and the country’s desperate need for shale gas to reduce energy costs and revitalise industry.”
More than 1 million shale gas wells have been drilled in the US, most of them without any problems, and this has led to a manufacturing renaissance which has brought jobs and prosperity to the country, said the firm.
Ineos has been busy recruiting US shale gas engineers to help the UK to develop its own industry. Crotty added: “The UK needs shale gas and we have the skills to safely extract it from the ground without damaging the environment.
“We have committed to public consultation and to share 6% of the entire revenue from any of our shale gas wells with the local community. Without shale gas, UK manufacturing is starting to collapse.”
The EAC report is being considered by government as part of plans to update its infrastructure bill.
Engineers debate shale gas
The IMechE is running a major shale gas event later this month aimed at engineers keen to update their knowledge on the realities of shale gas production.
The one-day seminar will explore the methods and processes that are implemented to extract shale gas, as well as providing information that needs to be shared to change the public’s perception of the sector.UK Shale Gas: The Engineers’ Summit takes place on Tuesday 24 February in London, and includes speakers from the Health and Safety Executive, Cuadrilla Resources, Centrica and the Environment Agency, among others. See the events section of www.imeche.org for further details.