The Guardian: Centrica talks down shale gas but may still invest

Sam Laidlaw did his bit to rain on the Davos parade when he dissed the prospects for shale gas as the game-changer that will shake countries out of their economic torpor. Yes, said the Centrica boss, shale had produced astonishing changes in the price of natural gas in America, but it was unrealistic to imagine this could be replicated – at least in Britain.

That is not what those on the Alpine jaunt want to hear. Global political and business leaders are desperate to find the equivalent of a new internet during a period of debt and recession gloom.

Peter Voser, the Shell boss, is expected to strike a more upbeat tone when he signs a gas deal with Ukraine claimed to be worth $10bn (£6bn) and could be worth as much as $50bn.

But in fact Laidlaw is not as negative as he is pretending: the owner of British Gas is one of a number of major energy players considering whether to invest in British shale trailblazer, Cuadrilla Resources.   MORE