The Guardian: Energy secretary says shale exploration won't lead to era of cheap gas

Ed Davey, the energy and climate change secretary, has warned supporters of shale gas that it may take many years for substantial exploration in the UK, and predicted it would not lead to an era of cheap gas.

Davey was speaking to the Guardian before the publication of the energy bill on Thursday and promised he had weapons he could use if there was a danger his policies were locking too much gas into the energy mix.

It is expected that the chancellor, George Osborne, will publish a strategy for gas alongside his autumn statement next week and, at the same time, Davey will give permission for the restart of suspended exploration of shale. The suspension was imposed last year due to concerns about the fracking technology used to exploit it by the company Cuadrilla. 

Davey said: "I have never been anti-shale gas. I think shale gas has a real role to play, not least in energy security if we can get shale gas in an environmentally safe way and in a way that is publicly acceptable.  MORE