Recent research shows that shale gas could be worse, in environmental terms, than coal. Researchers from the United States discovered that shale gas wells emit large amounts of methane gas, a key contributor to Global Warming.

After the first comprehensive analysis of the green house footprint of shale gas by Cornell University in the US, it has been discovered that the environmental impact of shale gas is a minimum of 20% more that coal.

Some have argued that shale gas will provide energy security as well as a signpost to a reduced carbon future. This theory now seems to be completely wrong and in fact shale gas will prove an even bigger greenhouse polluter than coal and traditional natural gas.

The main issue is the levels of Methane that is released into the atmosphere. Methane is far worse than CO2 from a green house perspective, although it lingers for a far shorter time in the atmosphere.

The debate on shale gas is just beginning, and there are many vested interests from all sides. So we at Bluemark Consultants are sitting on the fence until the full facts emerge. One point I think all of us who are involved in the business gas sector will agree on is: anything that can help reduce the current gas prices can only be a good thing, as long as it is not at the expense of future generations.

The news that Cuadrilla Resources started fracking its Preese Hall shale gas well in northern England is welcome news for UK business gas customers. Shale gas has proved to be a game changer in the US market , driving down prices across the board. Fracking will take place for a couple hours at a time ,in short spells over the coming few weeks. Experts will then examine how much gas flowed out of the test well .

The fracking  process consists  of injecting water into shale to hydraulically rupture them, releasing natural gas from the rocks. It is not without its critics because of fears that chemicals often included in fracking fluids may potentially contaminate the water table.Many European country’s are conducting research into possible issues with extracting scale gas.

Large shale gas deposits in the UK would help drive down business gas wholesale prices which will in turn lead to lower gas bills for UK businesses.