Letter: 280 million years too late

Stuart Jordan’s article “The case against fracking” (Solidarity 646) outlines the many downsides of fracking. In particular, he reports geologists’ opinions that the amount of gas available would supply less than 5% of Britain’s domestic supply in five years’ time.

It may be worse than that. Results from exploratory drilling before the moratorium were disappointing, with rock samples found to contain only small quantities of extractable gas or oil. Unlike American deposits, these were at low pressure, making it even more difficult to extract usable quantities.

This low pressure is a result of Britain’s complex geological history, where the strata have been lifted and buried more than once by plate tectonic movements, with faults and fractures allowing most of the methane, produced 280 million years ago, to leak away into the atmosphere. This contrasts with the much simpler geology of North America, as Stuart Haszeldine, Professor of Geology at Edinburgh University, points out.

This reality has been recognised by Chris Cornelius, founder of Cuadrilla Resources, who dug the first exploratory wells in Britain. He says that “no sensible investor” would put money into UK fracking and the announcement of the end of the moratorium was merely a “political gesture”.

It’s difficult to see how fracking could take off without a generous handout (sorry, energy price guarantee) from the government and even more difficult to see it having an effect on energy supplies in Britain. We’re 280 million years too late!

Les Hearn, London