Expertise in Carboniferous Geology

The UK shale gas resource & geology

Dr Nick Riley MBE, C. Geol., FGS

Director, Carboniferous Ltd, Nottingham, UK e-mail carboniferouslimited@gmail.com

(Presented at the Rushlight Energy Briefing, “hydraulic fracturing sustainably” London, Nov 28th, 2014)

The UK Carboniferous Hydrocarbon System

Surface oil seep - sourced from Bowland-Hodder shales in the Peak District National Park & probably known since at least Bronze Age times.

The British Geological Survey has been commissioned by UK government (Department of Energy & Climate Change -DECC) to assess shale gas/oil resources In 3 UK regions. The first report on the Carboniferous of the Bowland-Hodder interval was published in July 2013. Central estimate of gas in place of 1329 tcf (shale oil present but not assessed) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bowland-shale-gas-study

A report on the Jurassic shale gas/shale oil of Weald Basin was released in May 2014– “A reasonable central estimate is 4.4 billion barrels of oil in place (591 million tonnes)”. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bgs-weald-basin-jurassic-shale-reports

A study on the Carboniferous shale gas/oil of the Midland Valley of Scotland was published in June 2014. It gave central estimates of 80.3 tcf of gas in place and 6.0 billion barrels of oil in place (793 million tonnes) https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/324541/BGS_DECC_MVS_2014_MAIN_REPORT.pdf

UK primary oil production 2012 @50 million tonnes, oil products consumption used 76 million tonnes UK gas consumption per annum is @ 3tcf of which @1.5tcf is imported

Where was Britain during the Carboniferous?

(Morton & Witham, 2002)

First widespread equatorial rainforests Atmospheric oxygen levels higher than today No calcareous microplankton

(DECC June 2013) https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/226874/BGS_DECC_BowlandShaleGasReport_MAIN_REPORT.pdf

Note how thin the Barnett Shale is compared to the Hodder-Bowland (Loucks & Ruppel ,2007)

(Riley 1990)

Expertise in Carboniferous Geology

(Wright et al 1927)

(Riley in Brandon et al. 1996)

The East Midlands hosts the very first onshore hydrocarbon exploration well (Tibshelf). It has the highest density & longest history of oil & gas exploration & production wells onshore UK, & a significant number of coal exploration wells stretching back for more than 100 years. If these pose, or are a significant, or major risk as a source of water pollution, then why are they not recognised in the Environment Agency statistics? Davies et al. (2014) note that “ Of 143 active UK (onshore) wells that were producing at the end of 2000, one has evidence of a well integrity failure.”

http://www.bgs.ac.uk/research/groundwater/shaleGas/methaneBaseline/home.html

Natural groundwater gas seep into the River Hodder – a salmon river in an AONB

The Environment and Health Atlas for England and Wales informs researchers, policy-makers and the public on the geographic patterns of disease and potential exposure to various environmental agents. It has been developed to assist in developing hypotheses and research into the reasons for variability in disease risk that may relate to environmental agents. It is essential reading for public health professionals and academics from within the fields of public health, epidemiology, health geography and statistics. http://www.envhealthatlas.co.uk/homepage/book.html

Baselines are vital!

(Courtesy of Prof. Peter Styles)

http://www.theccc.org.uk/blog/a-role-for-shale-gas-in-a-low-carbon-economy/

In my view the campaigning tactic of generating fear, doubt and misinformation about subsurface technologies by those who see renewables and energy efficiency as the only “purist” path to decarbonisation, risks disaffecting public & political confidence in the ability of subsurface technologies to provide the much needed underground energy storage facilities and renewable (geothermal) energy sources that will be vital in achieving a high renewables low carbon emission energy scenario.