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7/27/2019 Fracking_ American Dream, Chinese Pipe-dream, Global Nightmare - Comment - Voices - The Independent
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Across Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, fracking wells periodically
burst out of the green scenery , little man-made islands heaving with activity
in the middle of grazing lands. Trucks ferrying fracking equipment are
ubiquitous on the back roads, some with Wild West names such as Stallion
and GoFrack, others with lazy monikers like Key Energy and Basic
Energy.
US companies keenness to be part of this new gold rush is palpable, and is
mirrored thousands of miles away in Shanxi Province, China, at the countrys
state-owned coking coal companies. Except that in Shanxi Province, barren,
brown landscapes assault the eyes with no visible evidence of any fossil fuel
activity other than coal. While the US is fracking its way to energy supremacy
(at least the fossil fuel kind) via more than 400,000 shale gas wells drilled so
far, China, the world's fourth-largest natural gas consumer, has so far only
drilled 150 wells. India has drilled none, and the EU-28 have drilled very
few.
China, India and the EU are all wondering how they will respond to this US
energy revolution. But while they may dream of replicating
Americas fracking frenzy, they will soon find that this isnt
possible. Indeed, shale gas being a bridge to a cleaner
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Fracking: American dream, Chinese pipe-dream,global nightmareEnergy policy should instead focus on renewables
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USA
Country Music
China
Energy
Population
Fossil Fuel
India
Earthquake
world is a myth: The US will continue to successfully extract
it, thus resulting in more methane emissions but also in
cheaper US energy. As a result, cheap coal America no
longer needs will continue to be diverted overseas, locking
coal infrastructure for decades.
Indias miserable track record of extracting coal bed methane
(an underground fracking process similar to that used for
shale gas) speaks volumes: After a decade of exploration, the
country has a paltry haul to show for its efforts. Land
acquisitions are nightmarish; the population density 10 times
that of the US and its regulatory framework doesnt work.
Water scarcity doesnt help either, and will get more difficult when the country
shifts its attention to shale (which requires perhaps 20 times more water to
extract than coal bed methane). One can anticipate the emerging conflicts over
water with the local population when the drillers turn up in force.
In China, shale gas reserves are a technological challenge of a different order
than in the US, due to complex geology, a far greater earthquake risk, loud
local environmental awareness, high population density, and water shortages.
It will take a long time to move past these challenges. Sichuan Province, where
Chinas fracking industry is taking-off, is a hotbed of seismic activity and its
not difficult to guess what will happen when the local population wakes up to
see hydraulic wells awkwardly sprouting in a province all too familiar withearthquakes human and environmental costs.
In the EU-28, debate is raging about fracking. France and the Netherlands
have banned the practice, whereas the UK, Denmark and Poland seem keen.
But below the surface hiss any number of problems. The production sharing
contract used throughout most of Europes energy projects, which would split
the benefits of extraction between different parties including landowners and
communities, doesnt work for shale. Similarly, different property rights
frameworks will cause dramatic hold ups. While US frackers have bought out
tens of thousands of landowners, you cant lease your mineral rights as a
private landowner in most of Europe and local councils invariably have a loud
say. Add the lack of infrastructure to carry the gas and increased dissent from
local and environmental groups, and its not difficult to conclude that frackingwill not take off in any meaningful sense for a decade or more.
Like an under-performing drug, what we are left with are the side-effects of
fracking. Unwanted US coal is flooding the world and delivering a perverse
gas-to-coal switch in Europe and elsewhere. In turn, this is causing increased
emissions outside the US and logically making coal-fired power plants more
desirable in the EU, China, India and elsewhere. Meanwhile, in the US, the
debate is raging about whether the industry is disclosing the correct number of
wells it is drilling and what the actual methane emissions contribution of the
industry is (my guess: huge).
The only way out of this vicious circle is for Europe, China and India to realize
that fracking is a pipe dream and focus on developing viable renewable energy
sources while curbing their addiction to fossil fuels. Policymakers must not letshale gas become a smokescreen obscuring the need for robust emissions
reduction policies. EU leaders should take decisive action to fix their
continents ailing carbon market, currently crippled by a rock-bottom carbon
price. India and China should change tack and lead the worlds climate change
negotiations towards decisive action.
Exporting the US shale gas model is a pipe-dream which if indulged will push
the world down the path to climate c haos - truly an international nightmare.
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17 COMMENTS
DEGRAYDEGRAYDEGRAYDEGRAY 1 hours ago
Fracking is a good idea for the US, until its effects are understood by local communities. In
the meantime, risks abound in other countries about to frack their way to severe
environmental, social and health headaches. There is no alternative to scaling-up
renewable energy: It is already more than cost competitive today were it not for $2 trillion
of harmful annual fossil fuel subsidies worldwide.
REPLY + 0
JAMES GEARYJAMES GEARYJAMES GEARYJAMES GEARY 2 hours ago
Natural gas is a bridge to nowhere. It undermines progress on clean energy and is
dangerous for our climate. http://clmtr.lt/cb/weC0AU
REPLY + 0
CHARLES EWINGCHARLES EWINGCHARLES EWINGCHARLES EWING 5 hours ago
As the environmentalists so often say, follow the money. From Wikipedia: "Assaad Razzouk
is Group Chief Executive Officer of Sindicatum Sustainable Resources, which he
co-founded in London in 2006. Sindicatum is an award-winning developer, owner and
operator of clean energy projects worldwide and a producer of sustainable resources from
Post a Comment
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natural products and waste." Funny the Independent didn't think it was important to
mention that.
REPLY + 0
CLIMATEHERO1973CLIMATEHERO1973CLIMATEHERO1973CLIMATEHERO1973 11 hours ago
Natural gas is a bridge to nowhere. It undermines progress on clean energy and is
dangerous for our climate. http://clmtr.lt/cb/weC0bJd
REPLY + -1
ROBERT JONES ROBERT JONES ROBERT JONES ROBERT JONES 11 hours ago
Want to see the effects of fracking in the USA? All the widespread
devastation?????????????????????? Ft. Worth, Texas has 1,000 fracked gas wells WITHIN
THE CITY LIMITS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Google: Ft. Worth, Texas - and look at
the pictures to see the devastation................................... P.S. That county - Tarrant County
- has 15,000 fracked gas wells. Imagine living in a place that looks like that!
REPLY + 0
BSQBSQBSQBSQ 17 hours ago
Firstly, by going further down into the silo of fossil fuels and fracking our way out of our
short term energy woes, we fail to address the fact that energy diversity is critical to
addressing the challenges we face. We need to fuel our energy future from a portfolio of
sources going forward. Secondly, shale is not, and cannot be, an alternative to renewables;
the question is will shale bridge, or will it distract from the transition to renewables? Shale,
like all hydrocarbons, will ultimately run out and along the way become more expensive
and dangerous to produce, and continue to progressively damage the environment (albeit
slightly less than coal). All this whilst we build even greater dependence on its production.
Prima facie shale gas could make an effective 'bridging fuel' to renewables, but if that's
what we seek, there is a significant stumbling block - the economics. Advocates of shale gas
are also often keen to point out that shale is cheaper than renewables, and won't require
subsidies, thus posing a "competitive threat" to all forms of renewable energy". If that's
true, and shale gas out-competes renewables instead of out-competing coal, it's not really
going to help with cutting emissions in the medium-to-long term or a transition torenewables. Shale gas production certainly poses some big questions, and dilemmas about
the difficulty of looking into the future. Probably most key is whether there is a realistic
chance of significant shale gas production from Europe over the next decade, and if not,
whether gas prices in Europe will fall as a result of cheaper prices in the US. The zeitgeist
seems to be, 'not immediately', for a variety of reasons. Prospecting for gas in the Sussex
commuter belt, for instance, is a much more c omplex proposition than it is in the sparsely
populated Northwest of Pennsylvania. Infrastructure for extracting and shifting gas
around also is not as developed in Europe as it is in the States, and differing approaches to
mineral rights also alter landowners' reactions to the prospect of gas discoveries under
their land: all points addressed by the article. It is therefore plausible that a significant
amount of shale gas will not be produced in Europe in the next five years, and will remain
an unlikely possibility for 15-20 years. Notwithstanding what ones position may be - it is
widely accepted that carbon and the environment are now a mainstream issue - the effect
of shale gas production on coal prices and renewables is sadly often ignored in the public
discourse. So nostrums indeed...but not from Mr. Razzouk.
REPLY + 0
FRED DAGG FRED DAGG FRED DAGG FRED DAGG 19 hours ago
So, we would rather have what as alternative. Japan is leaking nuclear waste into the
Pacific, the Russians have a reactor that has left us a thousand year legacy, and all I read is
waffle about the impact of fracking. All you critics seem to believe it will not be viable. Well
if that's the case, it won't survive. As for the long lasting affects to the environment, lets get
real, it can't be any worse than the worst alternative. Don't forget a certain piece of the
Pacific is dead due to French and US nuclear testing. Tell me a coal mine that has killed an
entire community...oh yes, when there was no more coal.
REPLY + 0
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CHARLES EWINGCHARLES EWINGCHARLES EWINGCHARLES EWING 5 hours ago
Long-term security through covering the country in tens of
thousands of giant windmills, backed up by tens of thousands of
STOR diesel generators for when the wind isn't blowing at the right
speed, all costing 2-3 times as much as the Chinese or Americans
pay for their energy, thus meaning thousands of extra pensionersdie in their cold houses every winter to pay the subsidies, and
making our exporters uncompetitive in international markets?
That sort of long-term security, right?
REPLY + 0
JLATNERJLATNERJLATNERJLATNER 17 hours ago
Right, so basically what your point boils down to is: 'it's better than nuclear
power'...so that's ok then. Frac king is 'viable' in the same way that other
fossil fuels are 'viable', in that they temporarily solve the problem but lead
to far greater and unavoidable problems down the line. Not to mention the
constant potential for the environmental hazards associated with fracking.Long-term ecological damage and long-term power security is ONLY
achievable through renewable energy sources.
REPLY + -1
CHARLES EWINGCHARLES EWINGCHARLES EWINGCHARLES EWING 5 hours ago
Fracking uses little water in comparison to many other users. A fracking
well uses in ten years what a golf course uses in a month. If the local water
supply isn't up to it, the oil company won't be granted a water abstraction
licence anyway.
REPLY + 0
ANONYMOUS 1 ANONYMOUS 1 ANONYMOUS 1 ANONYMOUS 1 21 hours ago
Fracking, although one of the cheaper methods of extracting natural gases (to most of the
current alternatives at least) in the short term, could end up a costly exercise: Water
wastage, especially if it relies on the current UK water pipe system or equivalent with pipes
bursting or getting clogged up with household oils etc and the average consumer feeling the
repercussions in higher rates Future human / legal implications assuming there are any
more hush hush cases: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-21/range-resources-
paid-750-000-in-fracking-accord.html The major fear however is that if all these
countries are considering fracking how long before acid jobs come on the scene and
becomes a real plausibility...
REPLY + -1
DOOGALLDOOGALLDOOGALLDOOGALL 22 hours ago
Mr Razzouk, I agree and so does TERI, UNICEF & FAO in India. It will be a fracking a
nightmare! Water shortages are imminent, projections show that shale gas areas such as
Cambay, Krishna-Godavari, Gondwana and the Indo-Gangetic plains will experience
severe water stress by 2030.
REPLY + 0
ANONYMOUSANONYMOUSANONYMOUSANONYMOUS 23 hours ago
France and the Netherlands have banned the practice - question is why? 1/France derives
over 75% of its electricity from nuclear energy. This is due to a long-standing policy based
on energy security 2/France is the world's largest net exporter of electricity due to its very
low cost of generation, and gains over EUR 3 billion per year from this. So why would
France want to see it position threatened and market share threatened. Cheap coal = cheap
energy / Coal fired stations are cleaner today due to continued developments (just like jet
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engines) The aurthor is stating that the process is not economically viable - well if that's the
case, why should we be scared of a few sights opening up? If, as the aurthor says, fracking
is a pipe dream due to economics, we will get out answer pretty quick. As all the
enviromental rubbish - all I would say is, do you homework!
REPLY + 0
JLATNERJLATNERJLATNERJLATNER 24 hours ago
It's a good thing that fracking won't lead us back to the same exact problems as we are
currently facing when supplies invariably run out. Why the idea of creating limitless
renewable energy (thus solving the never-ending cost hikes associated with unsustainable
resource gatheringsuch as fracking) is appealing to some is beyond me. Lets exploit the
short-term benefits of environmentally disastrous fracking operations, and let future
generations worry about the crippling and irreversible long-term damage.
REPLY + -1
CHARLES EWINGCHARLES EWINGCHARLES EWINGCHARLES EWING 5 hours ago
Fracking won't be "environmentally disastrous", or even damaging, provided it is
properly monitored and regulated. Read the Royal Society report on fracking.
REPLY + 0
COLINWR5COLINWR5COLINWR5COLINWR5 24 hours ago
From Wikipedia - Assaad Razzouk is Group Chief Executive Officer of Sindicatum
Sustainable Resources, which he co-founded in London in 2006 Sindicatum is an award-
winning developer, owner and operator of clean energy projects worldwide and a producer
of sustainable resources from natural products and waste. So he obviously has financial
reason to denigrate fracking.
REPLY + 1
STEVE HILLSTEVE HILLSTEVE HILLSTEVE HILL 1 days ago
Sindicatum Sustainable Resources is, frankly, a tiny Singapore based company employing
260 people. Why should we take a blind bit of notice about what their CEO says, and why
are you giving him a free advertorial to sell his nostrums?
REPLY + -1
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