Energy companies are to be given the chance to frack for shale gas under parts of Aberdeenshire, it has emerged.
Land south of Stonehaven and around Laurencekirk has been included in the UK Government’s latest onshore licensing round.
The Department for Energy and Climate Change’s announcement invites companies to tender for exclusive rights to exploit shale gas and other unconventional fossil fuels.
The launch of this latest licensing round – the first in 6 years – follows the publication of research from the British Geological Survey that indicated only a modest amount of shale gas and oil in the Scotland’s central belt.
“Unlocking shale gas in Britain has the potential to provide us with greater energy security, jobs and growth,” said Business and Energy Minister Matthew Hancock.
“We must act carefully, minimising risks, to explore how much of our large resource can be recovered to give the UK a new home-grown source of energy. As one of the cleanest fossil fuels, shale gas can be a key part of the UK’s answer to climate change and a bridge to a much greener future.”
However, Friends of the Earth Scotland is furious at the announcement.
“Under UK Government plans some of the most densely populated parts of Scotland could end up with the fracking industry as neighbours,” said the group’s head of campaigns, Mary Church.
“Tens of thousands of people will be understandably worried about what this means for their homes, their health and their local environment.”
“Climate science tells us we must rapidly move away from oil and gas towards a clean, renewable energy future if we are to avoid a catastrophic global temperature rise.
“In this context it is utterly irresponsible to open up a new frontier of dirty fossil fuels.”
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