In a speech at the Royal Society in London today, the energy secretary said that safe and responsible exploration of shale gas in the UK could increase energy security by “cutting imports” of North Sea gas.
Davey argued that if shale gas could be developed in an economically viable and environmentally friendly way, it would benefit the UK – increasing energy security, providing more jobs and tax revenues.
He was responding to the findings of a new report by Mackay/Stone, which estimates that the carbon footprint of UK produced shale gas would be significantly less than coal and also lower than imported Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).
According to the report, given the right safeguards, the net effect on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shale gas production in the UK will be relatively small.
Davey said that worldwide shale gas production should be accompanied by additional international emissions-reduction efforts, including a global deal on emissions reductions and additional effort to develop low-carbon technologies, such as Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).
“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 said.
“We have to face it: North Sea gas production is falling and we are become increasingly reliant on gas imports. So UK shale gas could increase our energy security by cutting those imports,” added Davey.
NGO Greenpeace said it was “extraordinary” that a Liberal Democrat was enthusiastically embracing new fossil fuels.
Leila Deen from Greenpeace, said: “The Government’s policy, enshrined in the Climate Change Act, is to vastly reduce our dependence on oil, coal and gas. Today Mr Davey is endorsing the use of a fuel that remains highly polluting, damages our countryside and scientists say must be largely left underground.”