Shale UK Blog Post 11 November 2013

''Confidence is mounting daily in the UK Shale market – but understanding the geoscience behind the resources is key business decision making''

Daniel Byles MP stated in an interview earlier this year that the UK could be one of the most Shale rich countries on the planet, and has the potential to create 30,000 jobs and secure UK energy.
France’s GDF Suez announced last week the signing of a $39m (£24m) deal to explore a 530 square mile area of northern England and Wales. The French, part-government owned firm declared it was "very confident about the potential of shale gas in the UK, and its anticipated contributions to UK energy security".

With this latest development and interest from the public, industry and government in UK shale mounting daily, the confidence in the commercial potential of shale gas in the UK is clear.
However, before firms commit to investing, shale gas stakeholders now have the opportunity to hear from the experts, understand the geoscience behind the potential resources and understand more about this nascent industry at the forthcoming Shale UK 2014 Summit.

Shale UK 2014 is a two-day conference, running from 4-5 March 2014 in London and will present an authoritative state-of-the-art view of the geoscience relevant to shale gas exploration, production and environmental management in the UK, giving firms the information they need on which to base important business decisions.

Shale UK 2014 is the only shale gas event to be held in conjunction with the Geological Society - the oldest geological society in the world - and will give participants eye-opening access to domains of knowledge and experience to aid stakeholders with their decision-making. 

To find out more about Shale UK 2014 visit www.shaleuk.com

It turns out that you in the UK do want to talk about shale and fracking after-all!

As the first time producer of Shale UK it’s my role to begin building a virtual team of smart, knowledgeable people who can steer this summit towards a high value experience for all concerned. And in this role, what a week I’ve had, speaking with a Global Oil Service CEO who is now chasing up a political lead for me - talk about upwards delegation! 

I had a coffee which turned out to be a master class in the global shale situation with the PWC top chap for Oil & Gas, Adam Lyons. 

And I began to address the admittedly thorny (but we better face this elephant in the room early don’t you think) issue of how communities, real people, actually cope with or even thrive on, oil and gas developments. This steering committee fellow knows his oil and gas inside out, having led a local council dealing with oil companies for years and wrote the book, literally, on the Braer (1993 Shetland Oil Tanker grounding). This man speaks with a balanced and long term perspective, and is keen to be involved. 

I’m ending week two of this process truly encouraged and perhaps feeling that the answer is ‘yes’, we, the UK community, do need and more importantly, want this particular shale conference. What do you think though? 

“The last thing we need is another Shale conference!”

These were the not so encouraging words of a senior Government Shale expert which are still ringing in my ears as I type...

And do you know what, they have a valid point. Just ‘another’ shale event is not needed.

And yet...(read more here) as the independent producer of Shale UK, I will be making it my priority to bring a useful, action focused really beneficial production to the community. 

And when we use this term ‘community’, I’d like to suggest that you think of that in the broadest sense, the UK community. This community encompasses, oil & gas for sure, but also all the other interested parties, from Greenpeace to an unemployed young person in Northern England. 

We all inhabit the same islands, we all have an interest in energy, how we consume it, how much it costs, and what the best way to achieve a long term balance might be.

I’m looking forward to learning, listening and creating Shale UK as the most valuable experience for all of us.