fracking

• Fracking = extracting shale gas (natural gas trapped underground in shale rock)
• UK example: in 2017 work began at a site on Preston New Road in Lancashire near Blackpool although this extraction was halted in 2019 due to safety concerns.
• Liquid is pumped into shale rock at high pressure ---> rock cracks (fractures) releasing the gas which can then be collected.
• Advantages:

  • High availability - approximately 5 trillion m3 of gas in Lancashire
  • Increases UK's energy security as other fossil fuel supplies decline
  • Gas is less polluting than other fossil fuels & releases half the CO2 when burned
  • Cheaper than some renewable energy sources
  • Technology has already been tested & proven to work
• Disadvantages:

  • Non-renewable so not a sustainable energy source & releases CO2 when burned
  • Risk of polluting groundwater, drinking water & the air
  • Uses lots of water - limited resource
  • Risk of small earthquakes (e.g. a 3 magnitude earthquake was triggered by the work in Lancashire in 2019)
  • Issue people feel strongly about - several people were arrested after protesting against the Lancashire site
  • Investment in fracking may slow down investment in renewable energy