Reporting on the unconventional oil and gas industry and its use of hydraulic fracturing
A review of Cuadrilla’s corporate social responsibility performance throughout the world was published yesterday (November 11th 2013). The review was commissioned by Friends of the Earth Netherlands and carried out by SOMO, the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations, a not-for-profit research organisation which investigates the consequences of […]
Can fracking be sustainable? This is the subject of the Green Alliance Annual Debate in London tonight (Monday November 11th). It is expected to focus on the compatibility of shale gas exploitation and decarbonisation of the energy sector. The speakers are: Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP for Brighton […]
The Prime Minister is wrong to raise people’s hopes that fracking could lead to cheaper energy bills, Jim Watson, professor of energy policy at Sussex University, said this week. Professor Watson, who is also research director at the UK Energy Research Centre, told a public lecture on Wednesday […]
On Tuesday November 5th, the heads of two fracking companies gave evidence to the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee. They were asked about safety, public opinion, regulation, delays and the potential value of the fracking industry. Find out the key points of what they said and read […]
Environmental Data Services publishes a report on the impacts of shale gas extraction on the environment. You can read the report by taking out a month’s free trial to the service.
One of the criticisms of hydraulic fracturing is that it uses large volumes of water. But how much is large? That’s not easy question to answer. Firstly, the volumes are expressed variously in imperial and US gallons, cubic metres and litres. Sometimes the figure is quoted is per […]
When the energy company SSE put prices up last week by an average of 8.2%, it blamed, among other things, government-imposed green levies collected through gas and electricity bills. Three days later, the company told the FT that government green energy policies would put up bills by £26 […]
Bloomberg reports that Britain’s water companies plan to discount the cost of water to fracking companies. Southern Water says its rate for the biggest customers is 25% less than for homes and this would apply to shale drillers, though none have applied. United Utilities will also offer lower […]
The government was urged today (8/10/13) to speed up exploratory drilling of shale gas in the UK . Professor Alan Riley, of City Law School, told the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee no one was certain how much shale gas was technically and commercially recoverable in Britain, or […]
The Guardian Diary reports today (8/10/13) it has confirmed, through a Freedom of Information request, that Energy Minister Michael Fallon met Cuadrilla on 24 June 2013, a month before the company got the go-ahead to drill at Balcombe. The Department for Energy and Climate Change could not confirm […]
DRILL OR DROP? 