The British Geotechnical Association (BGA) is the principal
association for geotechnical engineers in the United Kingdom.
The British Geotechnical Association (BGA) is the principal
association for geotechnical engineers in the United Kingdom.
With:
Professor Zoe Shipton, Strathclyde University
Professor Robert Jackson, Jackson Consulting
Eric Vaughan, Cuadrilla Resources Ltd.
Hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as “fracking”, is a technique for recovering oil and gas from shale rocks. Shale gas extraction is widespread in the US and has been credited by some with reducing the cost of energy and in turn helping the country’s recovery from the recent economic crisis. The British Geological Survey estimates there may be 1,300 trillion cubic feet of shale gas present in the north of England compared to a current annual UK consumption of 3 trillion cubic of natural gas. If 10% of the estimated reserves could be recovered, shale gas offers the potential for the UK to be energy independent for decades
to come.
Hydraulic fracturing techniques have been used in the oil and gas industry for decades and recently the UK government commissioned a study by the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering to review the scientific and engineering evidence around the risks associated with extraction of shale gas by this method. The report found that “the health, safety and environmental risks can be managed effectively in the UK” and set out ten recommendations on how this could be achieved.
Despite the generally positive findings of this study, negative media representation of the technique and high profile public protests continue, principally due to concerns around contamination and induced seismicity as demonstrated in Balcombe, West Sussex in the summer of 2013. This event will begin with a talk by Professor Zoe Shipton who is a member of the working group responsible for the 2012 Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering report on “Shale gas extraction in the UK: a review of hydraulic fracturing” followed by a debate on the geotechnical and geo-environmental aspects of fracking with contributions from Professor Robert Jackson and representatives of the hydraulic fracturing industry.
Please note: there are many technical and socio-economic issues associated with hydraulic fracturing for shale gas, including
the West’s continued reliance on fossil fuel and the resulting climate change. Whilst the BGA acknowledges the
importance of these issues, this debate will deal only with the geotechnical and geo-environmental issues in accordance
with its mandate as a learned society and expert panel of the ICE. Any high-jacking of the discussion off the stipulated
topic will be dealt with unsympathetically by the discussion chairman.
Full details: Fracking Flyer