DECC has published a report by Chief Scientific Advisor Professor David Mackay and Dr Timothy Stone, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State, assessing the potential greenhouse gas emissions from the production of shale gas in the UK and the compatibility of such emissions with the UK’s legislated climate change targets. It estimates that the carbon footprint of UK produced shale gas would be likely to be significantly less than coal and also lower than imported Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). It suggests that the effect of UK shale gas production on gas prices is likely to be small, and that use would be likely to displace imported LNG or possibly gas from outside Europe. With the right regulatory safeguards in place, the report concludes, the net effect on GHG emissions from shale gas production in the UK will be relatively small.
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