The NFUS (National Farmers Union Scotland) has been informing its members about what fracking could mean for its industry. A meeting was held for 80 members from parts central Scotland where drilling for unconventional gas could occur in the next few years. Speakers from potential fracking developers including Ineos and environmental regulator SEPA spoke at the event.
One worker has been killed and two seriously injured in a fracking accident at an oil or gas well site in northern Colorado. Three men were trying to heat a frozen high-pressure water line when something went wrong and the line ruptured.
The regulations imposed on shale gas fracking are “unnecessarily restrictive”, according to research by two University of Glasgow academics. In a new paper, Dr Rob Westaway and Professor Paul Younger from the School of Engineering, claim widely applying restrictions similar to those in force on fracking would require a ban on heavy vehicles from passing houses or walking on wooden floors. The report also states that the threat of serious earthquakes caused by fracking activity is considerably lower than commonly feared.
Petrochemical company Ineos has bought its second licence for shale exploration just two months after acquiring land at Grangemouth. The acquisition means the company now has an 80% interest in a petroleum exploration and development licence for PEDL 162, which covers a 400 km2 are of the Scottish central belt.
Environmental action group Friends of the Earth presented a 10foot pro-fracking puppet named Mr Frackhead at the Scottish Parliament. The puppet made the stop on his tour of the UK looking for places to frack for shale gas and posed for pictures at places including Holyrood and Arthurs Seat.
As shale gas exploitation proliferates, new research into the contents of the fluids involved in the process raises concerns about several ingredients.
Young people are much more in favour of renewables than fracking for shale, a poll suggests. The survey revealed that 18-24-year-olds who were aware of fracking wanted the Government to develop other sources of energy in the UK, with 44% backing solar as one of the technologies they most favoured, 41% for wind and 38% for tidal power.
Shale and automation will come to the forefront of the oil industry within the next five years, according to a new study.