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Going to Extremes:Going to Extremes:The project to develop unconventionalThe project to develop unconventionalgas extraction in Britaingas extraction in Britain

Paul MobbsPaul MobbsMobbs' Environmental InvestigationsMobbs' Environmental Investigations

http://www.fraw.org.uk/meihttp://www.fraw.org.uk/mei

The politics of “business as usual”is getting desperate...


“In the absence of information about thequality of the UK’s shale gas we haveassumed that shale gas would produce

similar emissions to those in the productionand processing of conventional gas.”

“The currently available evidence indicates that the potential risks to public health from exposure

to the emissions associated with shale gas extraction are low if the operations are properly

run and regulated.”




“Unconventional” resources

Unconventional oil and gas can't migrate to form underground reservoirs because the

source rock has a low permeability. Instead the rock strata where the oil/gas is formed

must be mined directly.

The existence of unconventional oil and gas is related to the types of rocks that make-up the UK. Like other minerals, unconventional

fuels can only be worked where they are found – and so we have to start by looking

at a geological map of Britain.

Sources of unconventional gas:

Differences in the underlying geology mean that the likelihood and impactsof unconventional gas development will differ across the area...

there is no “simple” explanation of potential or effects.

Shale gas Produced from impermeable “black” shales, mud-stones and clays – all of which have a high organic content. Impermeable nature of the rock prevents migration of the gas generated to a reservoir strata.

Coal-bedmethane(CBM/CSG)

Methane gas trapped in coal. Due to variations in coal seams and their history, not all coal seams contain usable gas, and variations in geology givevery differing quantities of gas.

Undergroundcoal gasifi‑cation (UCG)

Gasifying the coal in-situ underground, starved of oxygen, to produce methane, hydrogen & carbon monoxide rich “syngas”.

Sources of unconventional gas:

14th Onshore Licensing Round

In the UK most mineral rights are controlled by the state. The rights to exploit minerals are auctioned-off in regular "rounds". Many areas of Britain are already licensed, mostly for oil and gas (the North East and the Weald).

The last round granted licences for shale gas and CBM in Somerset, Lancashire, Wales, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire & Scotland. The 14th round seeks to open-up the rest of the UK to unconventional gas extraction.

The 14th round licences were due to be announced in 2012. The controversy over fracking has delayed that process, and the results have still not been announced.

Namurian

Tremadoc

Liassic

Liassicsubcrop

Oxfordclay

Kimmeridgeclay

Shale gas

The generic term "shale gas" is used to cover methane gas which can be recovered from a number of different low permeability rocks – shales, mudstones, siltstone and clays.

The most important characteristic is that they have a high organic content that has been "cooked" through the gas window – older rocks may contain more gas, younger rocks less.

Shale gas is produced using hydraulic fracturing (aka. 'fraccing' or'fracking') processes.

Most mediarepresentationsshow a directionalwell, or talk ofearthquakes. Thisis a major under-estimate of theimpacts of thefracking process.

The mostimpactful parts ofthe process havelittle to do with thegas well.

Shale gas

Shale gasMost mediarepresentationsshow a directionalwell, or talk ofearthquakes. Thisis a major under-estimate of theimpacts of thefracking process.

The mostimpactful parts ofthe process havelittle to do with thegas well.

Coal-bed methaneCoal less

than 1.2kmdeep

Coal morethan 1.2km

deep

Coal-bed methane (CBM, but in Australia usually called 'coal seam gas', CSG) uses similar techniques to shale gas wells to remove methane trapped in coal seams.

Rather like home water filters, the carbon in coal mops up the methane and binds it within the rock; CBM systems use drilled wells and chemicals to dislodge the gas and extract it. This can use 'fracking' technology, but need not where gas levels are high.

In the UK CBM currently being considered in former coalfield areas.

The driver for local gas development will be coal seams

This region is underlain by large areas of coal, in many places un-worked because they are too deep, or geologically problematic to be economically viable. The region has some shale gas potential, but it is difficult compared to other areas. ThereforeCBM exploitation – such as that seen in Australia – is the most likely development.

The driver for local gas development will be coal seams

South Wales

Underground coalgasification (UCG)

UCG "burns" coal underground,starved of oxygen. This createscarbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane gases – called syngas.

Rather like the process of making 'town gas', this option creates a complex mixture of pollutants – which can be flushed from the area by groundwater movement.

UCG is not a stable technology, and is one of the most 'extreme'of extreme energy sources.

South Wales

“...government can still be far too slow at gettingstuff done... I am determined to change this.Here's how: Cutting back on judicial reviews. Reducing government consultations. Streamlining European legislation. Stopping the gold-plating of legislation at home.Well, this country is in the economic equivalent ofwar today – and we need the same spirit. We needto forget about crossing every 't' and dotting every'i' and we need to throw everything we've got at winning in this global race.”

David Cameron's speech to the CBIMonday 19th November 2012

Unfortunatelypolitics isin denial

Experience tellsus that these

technologies arehighly damagingto human healthand the naturalenvironment...

...so why are wegoing ahead

with theseprojects?

2,000

7,000

12,000

Coal import Petroleum import Natural gas import Nuclear importElectrical power import Renewable import Coal PetroleumNatural gas Renewable Coal export Petroleum exportNatural gas export Renewable exports Total consumption (PJ)

0

Indigenous production

Commodity imports DECC statistics

DECC projections

Total primary energy consumption

PRIMARY ENERGY

Prim

ary

Ene

rgy

Con

sum

ptio

n, P

J/ye

ar

3,000

8,000

1930

1915

1945

1960

1975

1990

2005

2014

2035

UK Primary Energy Supply – 1915 to 2013, & projections to 2035

2,000

7,000

12,000

Coal import Petroleum import Natural gas import Nuclear importElectrical power import Renewable import Coal PetroleumNatural gas Renewable Coal export Petroleum exportNatural gas export Renewable exports Total consumption (PJ)

0

☹ ☹post-colonial decline

resource boom-bust

cycle

political realignment

what next?

CYCLES

☺☺

Prim

ary

Ene

rgy

Con

sum

ptio

n, P

J/ye

ar

3,000

8,000

1930

1915

1945

1960

1975

1990

2005

2014

2035

2,000

7,000

12,000

Coal import Petroleum import Natural gas import Nuclear importElectrical power import Renewable import Coal PetroleumNatural gas Renewable Coal export Petroleum exportNatural gas export Renewable exports Unconventional gas Total consumption (PJ)

0

Indigenous production

Commodity imports DECC statistics

DECC projections

Total primary energy consumption

OFGEM shale gas estimates

SHALE GAS

Prim

ary

Ene

rgy

Con

sum

ptio

n, P

J/ye

ar

3,000

8,000

1930

1915

1945

1960

1975

1990

2005

2014

2035

Unfortunatelypolitics isin denial

Experience tellsus that these

technologies arehighly damagingto human healthand the naturalenvironment...

...so why are wegoing ahead

with theseprojects?

Scottish Expert Panel

Report (2014)

Atlantic Partnership

APPG Unconventional

Oil and Gas

Edelman

PEDLs

Catherine Fall

Zoe Shipton

David Cameronprime minister

deputy-chief of staff

Daniel Yergin US secretary

'great & the good' of politics & diplo macy in the USA,

UK and EU

former director

fossil fuels consultancy

Ben Moxham

Centrica

Hill & Knowlton

Policy Exchange

energy & climate advisor 2010-13

public affairs

2009-12

senior Conservatives

public affairs 2013

Riverstone

BP

Ian Cheshire

head environment 2005-7

Gas Works?

2012vice president

lead non-exec director 2010-14

chief exec. 1998-07

managing partner

2007-

investors

Shale Gas

Europe

Task Force on

Shale Gas

secretariat

FTI Consultingsecretariat

Energy in Depth IPAA43 other

exploration ventures

finance/ management

policy

lobbying

previous connections

Relationships:

Entities:people

corporate

policy group

lobby/PR group

political group

publication

oil and gas operations

the label on the line states the nature of the relationship

agencies/ regulators

Halliburton

Shell

Chevron

Statoil

Total

Dow

Weir Group

funding

HM Government

Katie Waring

associate director

GDF Suez

membership/ fundingfunding

Energy UK

Fishburn Hedges

PR/lobbyists PEDLs

& fields

PEDLs

Francis Maude

paymaster general

co-founder/ board member

Huntsworth

public relations

group

board member

Alex Morton

adviser

housing, planning & urban 2010-2013

Ed Davey

special adviser 2012-13

Vince Cable

former chief economist

Chris Nicholson

Paul Hodgson special adviser

special adviser

Centre Forum

chief executive 2012-12

associate director 2006-13

Matthew Hancock

minister of state

Office for Unconventional

Gas and Oil

Amber Rudd

Maria Allen

special adviser

Burson-Marsteller

3 Legs Resources

Polish licences

PEDLs

Celtique Energy

Polish licences

Policy & PRUnconventional Oil & Gas

public affairs manager, 2007-13

Magellan Petroleum

Newgate Communications

Third Energy

PEDLs &

fields

Simon NayyarConservative Party publicity/candidate

Oliver Letwin

cabinet secretary

minister for government

policy

Porton Group

Big Society

Bank

PPS

Rathlin Energy

PEDLs

Connaught Oil & Gas owners

Weber Shandwick

Energy & Energy

Services

John Browne

chairman 2010-2015

Tamboran Resources

Irish licence

Alison Woodhouse

senior team

senior policy manager, -2013

Lynton Crosby

ongoing merger/takeover

of UK assets

Five Quarter Energy

Science Media Centre

James Wild

Michael Fallon

account director, 2009-12

former minister of state

Lucy Neville-Rolfe

PwC

non-executive director

under secretary of state

various reports on North Sea/

shale industry

auditors/financial services

National Grid

EDF

Egdon Resources

partnership

investors

Nick Boles

former director

Henry Jackson Society PfDG

Emily Dyer

researcher

signatory

academic

academic/ research institute

grant funding

Ed Vaizey

signatory/political council member


minister of statesecretary

of state

Penny Mordaunt

associate

Town Planning Regulation (England)

Eric Pickles

secretary of state


Planning Policy

Guidanceissues

special adviser 2012-14

PEDLs

former minister of state

Environmental Permits

issues

Chris Smith

Arup

Philip Dilley

former chairman

former chairman

chairman

consultancy

government

consultants

Coal Authority

UCG licences

Elizabeth Truss

special adviser

Consultancy & Finance

Academia/ Research

E.On

Nexen

Maersk Oil

NERC CDT Oil & Gas

Schlumberger

University of Birmingham

Royal Holloway

University of Exeter

University of Nottingham

Keele University

University of Southampton

University of Glasgow

University of Dundee

University of Newcastle

Nat. Ocean- ography Centre

University of Oxford

University of Strathclyde

University of Cardiff Gould

Research CentreReFINE project

Stephen de Souza

senior civil servant, 2000-13

R.E. division

corporate partners

core academic

partners

associate academic institutes

advisory stakeholders

fundingacademic partners

Conservative Party

CTF Partners/ Crosby Textor

2015 election campaign

fossil fuels, tobacco & other

corporate PR

Susan Kramer

advisory board

minister of state

moved infrastructure bill motion to allow

any substance to be deposited underground

funding

'scientists'

OMV

Conoco Philips

UCG

KEY

sustainable gas institute

Cambridge/ Manchester institutes

Heriot-Watt/ Oxford

institutes

Sarah Hogg

Frontier Economics

non-exec. chair

KPMGEuropean

Investment Bank

expert of the board global

senior adviser

George Osborne

Danny Alexander

Priti Patel

Julia Goldsworthy

special adviser

97% owned

Barclays Natural Res.

Invest's

Buccleuch Group

CBM exploration Canonbie

Cluff Geothermal

Mark Oddy

chief commercial

officerinvestor

energy director

Dermot Roddyprofessor

UCG licences

Paul Younger

Nigel Brandon

consultantprofessor

professor

Algy Cluff

UCG licences

non-exec. chair

CEO/ exec. chair

supporter

RA/RAE Shale Gas

Report (2012)

working group

expert panel

Ernest Rutter

Michael Holgate

advisory expertconsultant

Stuart Haszeldine

Richard Devies

Andrew Aplin

professor

professor

Peter Styles

professor

Mackay/Stone Shale & Climate Report (2013)

University of Hull

University of Leeds

Quentin Fisher

professor

Horizon Nuclear Power

non-exec. director

Nick Riley

Mike Stephenson

Rob Ward

G Frac Technologies

Carboniferous Ltd

Chris Green

petroleum geologist

David Mackay

Timothy Stone

author

author

director

Guardian 'Open 'Letter'

(2014)

Imperial College

Investing in

Britain’s future (2013)

orders EA to change licensing procedures

chairman

Royal Bank of Canada

(EU)Halite

Energy

gas storage in Lancashire

subsidiaries of RBC manage tar

sands investments

chair

chair

John Roberts

working group

'The Frackogram' 2015 Version 1.3.1, Paul Mobbs/Mobbs' Environmental Investigations, March 2015

http://www.fraw.org.uk/mei/archive/fracktured_accountability/ Released under the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, Attribution, Share-alike Licence (2.0 UK)

chairman

Hanover Communications

Bell Pottinger

Vigo Communications

senior partner

energy & climate advisor, 2013-

lead non-exec director, 2015-

strategist

Nick Cleggdeputy

PM

Liberal Demo- cratic Party

Jonny Oates

chief of staff

director of comm.

Caroline Collett PR

St. Brides Media & Finance

director

director

Westbourne Communications Lexington Communications

UCL

upstream research company

Exxon

Atlantic Triassic Research Project

University of Durham

University of Aberdeen

University of Cambridge

Fluvial Systems Research

Environment Agency

Lancashire Monitoring Project

University of Liverpool

minister of state

Barton Willmore

LLP

Pinsent Masons

LLP

RPS Group

general advice to the industry on development and legal methods to deal

with protest

University of Bristol

Loughborough University

OUGO FOI

Emails

secretary of state

under secretary of state Jeremy Heywood

facilitating regulation/deregulation

organised dinner with officials and industry figures in Lancashire

Energy Assets Group

Chris Masters

Kenneth Sorbie

Heriot-Watt University

Robert MairRichard Selley

partnership

BGS

Tony GraylingattendeeIPPR

associate director 1999-06

chief secretary to the treasury

issuedpolicy

chancellor

treasury board

member

exchequer secretary to the treasury

Paul Deighton

Goldman Sachs

manage US shale investments

commercial secretary

to the treasury 2012-

head of climate change

CEO

orders changes

to planning procedures

BASF

Stephen Green

minister for trade 2010-12

non-exec director

James Sassoon

commercial secretary

to the treasury 2010-12

Spencer Ogden Oil & Gas

Recruitmentnon-exec director

Neil O'Brien

special adviser

director, 2008-12

SG Warburg

APPEA

australian shale gas lobbyists

Clean Coal Syngas

LLP

BCG Energy

UCG licences

Europa Oil & Gas

PEDLs &

fields

partnership

lapsed UCG

licences

lapsed UK UCG licences

inter- national

UCG projects

Wardell Armstrong

LLP

UCG studies

UCG Engineering

Shale Energy

plc

PEDLs

Coastal Oil & Gas

UK Methane

partnership

Alkane Energy

PEDLs

PEDLs

Reach CSG

partnership

Hutton Energy

PEDLs

Aurora Energy

ResourcesPEDL

chief technical

officer

Enegi Oil plc

Irish licence

Guy Robinson

Tara Singh

UCG Associ-

ation

funding/ members

INEOS

UK Onshore

Operators Group

Dart Energy

senior policy adviser

chairman

professor

BGS Natural Environment

Research Council

Manchester modelling

centre

University of Manchester

BHP Billiton

Areva

Saudi Aramco

Tullow Oil

Woodford

I. Carbonates Research Ctr.

University of Southampton

University of Edinburgh

funding

Petrobras

BG GroupICRC

Shale Gas Hub

HSBC

CEO 2003-06 chair 2006-10

professor professor professor professor professor

professor

director PR/media

European Commission

Robert Hull deputy sec. general European Economic & Social Committee, 2002-06 regional growth

fund bid for Five Quarter's

UK UCG projects

Coal Mine

Methane

EU regional growth fund bid

director

NW Energy

Task Force

Guardian Open Letter

funding

PR

Cuadrilla

secretariat

Institute of Directors

WWF UK

Peel Gas & Oil

IGas Energy

partnership

secretary of state

secretary of state

commercial manager

partnership

Low Carbon Contracts Co.

memo. of. understandingCluff Natural

Resources

'TheFrackogram

2015'March 2015

...becausesometimes aflowchart justisn't enough!

Available todownload asan A3, A2 orA1 posterfrom myweb site.

× Energy We'll still have to import significant quantities of energy security? from outside the UK, especially oil (or uranium if the

government tries to go nuclear).

× Prices? The market is fully globalised, so we'll still pay a price related to global oil/gas prices – unconventional gas doesn't mean lower domestic gas prices.

× Economy? Economic problems are created by the imbalancebetween global growth, energy/resource prices, and ecological limits which creates “uneconomic growth” – simply increasing UK energy supply isn't the solution to that greater problem.

The current debate ignores the fact that the demand for resources is rapidly depleting supply – we're at the “limits to growth”

What will 'extreme energy' do for us?

To conclude...

Our present economic difficulties will not go away if we try to apply the “old” economic rules – developed in an era where limits to resource production/use did not apply.

Our future economy depends on internalising ecological limits to our demand for energy and resources.

What we're talking about is not “de-industrialisation”, it's a retooling of economics and commerce to work within ecological limits...

Developing every last drop of fossil fuels does not help to do this.

Paul MobbsPaul MobbsMobbs' Environmental InvestigationsMobbs' Environmental Investigations

http://www.fraw.org.uk/meihttp://www.fraw.org.uk/mei

going to extremes - greennet | internet services, web ...€¦ · going to extremes: the project to...

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