A case study based assessment of potential cumulative impacts on groundwater from shale gas production in Northern England
2019
The UK shale gas industry might see significant growth in the near future, with many energy
companies already having gained approval and others in the stages of seeking approval for
exploration. Exploratory boreholes have been in place in the Vale of Pickering, North Yorkshire,
and the Fylde Basin, Lancashire, since 2013 and 2010 respectively. Since then, several other sites
around the UK have been earmarked for future exploration.
The current absence of producing shale gas wells within the UK means it is too early to assess any
actual impact of these operations at the local, regional and national scale. However, international
analogues may provide some indications based on areas elsewhere in the world where a shale gas
industry is more developed (e.g. the Marcellus Shale, USA) albeit with obvious limitations due to
differences in geology and setting. While regulation and compliance of shale gas operations varies
between countries, the process and method of extraction and the environmental risks are
comparable. The general requirements for water, drilling mud/fluids, hydraulic fracturing fluids
(“frac fluids”) and the design of wells and well pads can all be extracted from an already mature
international experience. However, the requirements in the UK will be modified by the regulatory
requirements and restrictions that exist.
There are ongoing discussions within the UK to determine whether shale gas is beneficial,
economically viable and environmentally safe. In this report, the impact on land use, groundwater
quality and water resources of one well in a selection of approved Petroleum Exploration and
Development Licence (PEDL) areas will be considered, followed by an estimation of the
cumulative impacts that may result from multiple extraction sites within these areas. The exercise
will depend on ranges of input parameters informed by international analogues applied in a UK
geo-environmental setting. To recognise the variability in parameters and uncertainty in UK
industry development, a range of impact scenarios - low, moderate and high – have been
considered.
Keywords:
- Correction
- Source
- Cite
- Save
- Machine Reading By IdeaReader
0
References
0
Citations
NaN
KQI