Energy firm says Gainsborough gas resources could generate GDP contribution of over £100bn

[IsailedawayfromFR]

I believe it is sensationalism at its finest as no wells have proven anything here.
Having said that, appears to me a sane UK government would wish this to be explored and developed as the country is starved for energy.

What say you, Mr Geologist?  Is it worth the risk?  @Smokin Joe


Energy firm says Gainsborough gas resources could generate GDP contribution of over £100bn
14th February 2025
 A huge gas field has been discovered under Lincolnshire with the ability to fuel the country for a decade, it has been reported.

Reaching out to Egdon Resources, the energy firm behind the discovery in Gainsborough told Business Link that the Telegraph’s description of a “gas field” is premature “as the political and regulatory conditions for its development do not exist in the UK today.”

At present there is a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for shale-gas, a practice with strong opposition, with fracking having been met with protests, critiqued for creating earth tremors, and clashing with the government’s environmental course, plans to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and Net Zero aims.

Commissioning Deloitte to undertake an assessment of the potential economic, social and environmental impact that developing this gas resource could have, Egdon Resources said the gas resource is capable of supplying over 16 trillion cubic feet of gas, amounting to around six to seven years of current gas consumption.

Deloitte’s modelling estimates that the development would generate a GDP contribution of over £100 billion, up to 250,000 direct and indirect jobs, and offset 202 million tons of CO2 equivalent when compared to the emissions associated with imported gas.

Egdon Resources said: “The Telegraph article relates to the potential gas resources in the Gainsborough Trough geological basin which extends across parts of Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire.

“The presence of these gas resources in shales and sandstones at a depth of around 2 kilometres, was proven by the drilling of the Springs Road-1 well back in 2019 and compare favourably with some of the best producing shale basins in the USA.

“At present they cannot be developed due to the moratorium on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for shale-gas. It’s description in the article as a “gas field” is premature as the political and regulatory conditions for its development do not exist in the UK today.
https://www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk/mag/news/energy-firm-says-gainsborough-gas-resources-could-generate-gdp-contribution-of-over-100bn/
https://www.searchanddiscovery.com/documents/2018/80624palci/ndx_palci.pdf

[Smokin Joe]

Until some of the lunacy about hydraulic fracturing is laid to rest, it isn't going anywhere unless there is a reservoir associated with it that can be tapped.

We have had well over 10,000 horizontal wells fracced here in ND, and our biggest earthquake (1968, 4.4 magnitude, epicenter at Huff, ND) came long before horizontal drilling started here.

That said, it depends on the geology of the area, formation depth, and any nearby faults, although the problems with the latter usually are a result of fluid injection by disposal wells, not fracs on a producer.

In some areas (OH, and OK, to name a couple), disposal wells (not always oilfield related) have been believed to lubricate existing faults (known and unknown) and stimulate seismic activity.
We have a slew of disposal wells here, too, for disposal of the salt water that almost always accompanies the production of oil and gas, but have had no seismic events associated with or attributed to the disposal wells.