In a speech to the Royal Society today, the Rt. Hon Edward Davey MP, Secretary of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), suggested that the safe and responsible exploration and extraction of shale gas in the UK was in line with our climate change targets.
Responding to the findings of a new report by the Chief Scientific Advisor to the DECC which estimated that shale gas extraction in the UK would have a lower carbon footprint than both coal and imported LPG, Davy said that “if shale gas could be developed in an economically viable and environmentally friendly way, it would benefit the UK”. The report claimed that “with the right safeguards in place, the net effect on greenhouse gas emissions from shale gas production in the UK would be relatively small”.
Speaking at the Royal Society, Secretary of State, Edward Davey claimed that “gas, as the cleanest fossil fuel, is part of the answer to climate change, as a bridge in our transition to a green future, especially in our move away from coal”. He continued, “North Sea gas production is falling and we are becoming increasingly reliant on gas imports. So shale gas could increase our energy security by cutting those imports” whilst providing jobs and tax revenues for the UK society.
He made clear that no-one can yet know how much shale gas can be commercially extracted in the UK but regardless of that, he insisted that “ we must not and will not allow shale gas production to compromise our focus on boosting renewable, nuclear and other low carbon technologies”.