Proponents of fracking in the UK contend that gas extraction would boost energy security for the country. However, critics strongly assert fracking is unwarranted and dangerous, and conflicts with the government’s climate change initiatives.
The UK is historically dependent on natural gas for heating and electricity. Natural gas is typically close to two-thirds of the country’s source of energy, with about half of that coming from imports. With declining domestic gas production, importing could rise to over 75 percent by 2030. Clearly indicating that an increase in production would reduce the projected rise in dependence on foreign energy imports.
Though it’s not known how much is commercially extractable, the British Geological Survey estimates there could be over 3.7 trillion cubic metres of gas in the Bowland Shale, which runs across most of central and northern England. And according to the International Energy Agency: “Natural gas is one of the mainstays of global energy. Where it replaces more polluting fuels, it improves air quality and limits emissions of carbon dioxide.”
Yet, the primary short-term concern nationally is there is only about 2.6 times of proven gas reserves available compared with the current annual consumption. Which means there is around 3 years of natural gas left.
That being said, there are two camps of opinions to fracking. The proponents as mentioned above, and those opposed. And currently the opposition is winning. According to the Guardian in October of 2022, the prime minister said he “stands by” the 2019 manifesto, which put a moratorium on shale gas extraction. “We placed a moratorium on fracking in England with immediate effect. Having listened to local communities, we have ruled out changes to the planning system. We will not support fracking unless the science shows categorically that it can be done safely.”
What’s the Alternative?
According to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy as of August 2022 the residual fuel consumption in the UK is:
- 73.8% Natural gas
- 9% Coal
- 6.9% Nuclear
- 2.7% Renewable
- 1.8% Hydroelectric
- 5.8% Other
So, the obvious question is: can natural gas be replaced, and if so with what? The answer is yes, initially blending hydrogen into natural gas. Hydrogen is developed from High-Temperature Water Splitting, where high temperatures generated by nuclear reactors or solar concentrators create chemical reactions that split water to produce hydrogen.
According to the Energy Networks Association (ENA) each of the five gas grid companies in the UK will be ready to deliver 20% hydrogen to homes, businesses and the fleet of gas-fired power plants in 2023. This meets government targets for reducing the country’s network of natural gas usage by using blended hydrogen to generate cleaner electricity.
Though there is new legislation discontinuing gas boilers after 2025, it is just for newly built structures that will be required to have alternative heating systems, such as heat pumps or other efficient heating. The ban will not apply to homes or businesses built before 2025, though upgrades are recommended.
In order to further reduce reliance on natural gas and help protect the UK from international gas market changes, the grid companies are urging the government to double hydrogen production from 5 GW (gigawatts) to 10 GW by 2030. To put it in perspective, 20% hydrogen blending could reduce carbon emissions by 6 million tonnes (C- again, please don’t correct spelling) of carbon dioxide per year which is roughly equal to removing 2.5 million cars from the nation’s roadways.
Though doubling hydrogen production may be an excellent goal, there’s still a long way to go. For instance, in 2021 England used 333.2 TW (terawatts) of electricity, which is 333,200 GW. Therefore, based on reasonably achievable goals to progressively rely on blended hydrogen is just the tip of the iceberg. Ultimately, the hope in many corners is that more advanced renewable energy sources will prove to be more sustainable in the coming decades.
Regardless of the changing international embargos, higher prices and limited sources, Britain has a solid plans to strive for energy independence into the future.
Additional Sources Include: