Shale force

Published on 18/09/2012 00:00

Country after country is now rushing to exploit shale gas which, in the past four years, has more than halved gas prices in the United States.

China, Germany, France, Russia, South Africa and others all have immense reserves that promise to provide the world with cheap energy for centuries to come.

Saudi Arabia may hold the fifth-largest deposits of shale gas, behind China, the US, Argentina and Mexico, with as much as 645 trillion cubic feet of recoverable fuel.

Shale gas will, in the longer term, reduce countries’ dependence on supplies from Russia and the Middle East.

The development of shale gas extraction will dramatically change the current fixation with renewables, especially wind 
turbines.

Shale gas does not need subsidies and this is why the renewables propaganda machine issues scare stories.

The government’s plans for wind farms involve a capital spend of £120 billion, whereas we could build equivalent gas-fired capacity for £13bn and use UK shale gas.

Britain risks being left behind as the world market for cheap shale gas gathers pace.

The UK Government must exploit shale gas to boost our economy, stabilise manufacturing costs, create jobs and meet the demand for cheaper energy.

Clark Cross

Springfield Road

Linlithgow