Drilling into the shale question

It’s one of the biggest talking points in Lancashire - should the county pursue the chance of a shale gas bonanza or is the cost too high? We brought some industry experts to discuss the issues with Lancashire for Shale at a debate hosted by Danbro at its Lytham offices.

PRESENT: Ged Henderson ~ Chair, Lancashire Business View • Lee Petts ~ Lancashire for Shale/Remsol • Tim Lemon ~ Blackpool and The Fylde College • Quentin Fisher ~ Professor of Petroleum Geoengineering at Leeds University • Andy Dobson ~ Milford Supplies • David Hall ~ Emerald Resourcing • Damian Broughton ~ Danbro • Stuart Livesey ~ Engineer

Is shale gas Lancashire’s next industrial revolution?

Lee Petts: It depends whether there is gas in the ground and it sounds like there is.

Then of course it depends on whether or not that gas can be extracted at rates that are commercially viable. If that happens, then it could be transformative for Lancashire’s economy.

Quentin Fisher: Until you’ve drilled lots of wells you really don’t know how much is there, how much you’re going to produce.

And until you’ve done a pilot scheme of, say, 50 wells you really don’t really know how fast you can get the gas out of the ground. But if that all works, it can be absolutely great for the area. There’s going to be a lot of money coming in.

Andy Dobson: Look at the bigger picture, it’s not just jobs directly related to drilling and construction. Look at the impact it could have on the hospitality sector. Whatever money is generated, hopefully a lot is going to get spent in the area.

David Hall: As someone who works in recruitment, it’s a great opportunity for young people. It’s a great pathway to the future and a ray of light for young people living locally.

Damian Broughton: In terms of a revolution, it’s got the potential to change this whole area, if not the UK. We see what happened up in Aberdeen with oil. Shale can do the same here. This could be the centre for on-shore shale gas exploration for Europe.

Stuart Livesey: It’s something Lancashire desperately needs. It will be the first shale gas in the UK.

Tim Lemon: If the gas starts flowing then all sorts of other things will come from that. And that includes education and training. If we are going to bring out gas here, people will have to be trained.

Do we believe the forecasts that shale could be worth £33bn to the economy and deliver 64,000 jobs? Lee Petts: They sound like fanciful numbers, until you actually start to dig beneath the surface, pun intended. Take the jobs number, if you look at other sectors of the economy that’s not surprising.