UK Onshore Oil and Gas (UKOOG) has urged the Scottish government to lift its moratorium on hydraulic fracturing.
The industry body, which represents the onshore oil and gas sector in the UK, said allowing the use of the controversial extraction technique would have “significant economic benefits” for the nation.
UKOOG made the call in its response to a government consultation on unconventional oil and gas production in Scotland, which closes 31 May.
“Many of the wilder claims about health and environmental impacts have been thoroughly debunked by the Scottish government’s own research and we do not believe that the outcomes of this extensive research give any reason to justify continuing the moratorium on onshore oil and gas extraction,” commented UKOOG chief executive Ken Cronin.
“We strongly believe that there is a significant economic opportunity for Scotland but we recognise that as a result of a deeply polarised debate and an extremely unfair depiction by some of the onshore oil and gas industry there is still much to do to ensure local communities within the central shale belt have proper information.”
In January 2015, the Scottish government issued a moratorium on all new licenses for hydraulic fracturing and coal bed methane extraction whilst it undertook an investigation into their impacts. A consultation examining the unconventional extraction techniques was launched earlier this year.
Critics of fracking say the process is harmful to health and the environment – contaminating water supplies with toxic chemicals and emitting the powerful greenhouse gas methane. They also argue it can lead to increased seismic activity, including earthquakes, and will set back progress on climate change by enabling the continued use of fossil fuels.
As well as disputing the claims made about the health and environmental impacts, UKOOG said in a statement that the extraction of shale gas would not increase the use of fossil fuels as there is currently “no viable or affordable alternative to natural gas to heat our homes or provide high grade heat and feedstocks to our industry”.
The trade body argued that local shale gas production would be “significantly less impactful than transporting gas across oceans and continents”.
“Within 20 years, the UK will be importing over 75 per cent of our gas costing the equivalent of over £300 per household – money simply going out of the country.” UKOOG said over the next two decades Scottish shale gas has the potential to generate tax revenues equal to two per cent of the nation’s income tax take.
The response was welcomed by the GMB Scotland union, which called for politicians to have an “honest debate” over the future role of gas.
GMB Scotland secretary Gary Smith said: “The debate around fracking among Scotland’s political elite is mired in hypocrisy because, as UKOOG rightly point out, we’ve been fracking the North Sea for decades and we’ve been more than happy to reap the rewards.”
He continued: “The idea that we can affordably heat our homes, power our economy and sustain thousands of jobs without domestic gas production is just ‘pie in the sky’ politics and the main losers will be hard-working Scots and the poorest in our society.”
Alongside the response, UKOOG has launched new website called for gas4Scotland to persuade the public of the benefits of shale gas production.