Fracking and Methane Emissions

Methane leaks at a fracking site near Blackpool have raised concerns about the capacity of the industry to produce gas without harming the environment.

Cuadrilla reported four spikes in methane above levels set by authorities since it began its controversial operation in October.

The largest event saw concentrations of the climate-warming gas rise to around 15 times higher than normal background levels.

Workers attempted to burn the gas as they released it from the well, but it failed to catch light and was released into the air. Venting unburned methane at the site is banned by the Environment Agency “except where necessary for safety reasons”.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with the power to warm the planet up to 84 times more than CO2. Controlling leaks from fracking sites is therefore vital if the industry wants to achieve its stated goal of providing a cleaner alternative to coal. If shale gas – which contains methane – is to be cleaner than coal and serve as a “bridge fuel” to green energy promised by the government, the industry must ensure no more than 2 per cent of it is vented into the air.

https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/fracking-methane-gas-climate-change-cuadrilla-fossil-fuels-a8804301.html

Cuadrilla said measurements by the British Geological Survey before fracking commenced had recorded far higher methane levels of up to 70ppm at the site.

But Dr Grant Allen, who conducted the BGS analysis, said it was not fair to present this as any kind of baseline.

“This is not normal. Background methane concentration is around 2 ppm,” he said, noting that “very rare” peak levels before fracking began at the site were generally around 7 ppm.

Methane emissions such as this are very much a concern regarding the industry’s carbon footprint and contribution to greenhouse gas budgets,” he said. “Such concerns exist because of the potential cumulative impact of a future scaled up industry in the UK and how that might affect the UK’s stated emissions targets.”