'Golden Rules' Could Help Unconventionals Prosper, Says IEA

Growth in unconventional gas in Europe will take time, but can yield great results if managed properly, a London conference was told today.

Capella Festa, of the International Energy Agency, was speaking at the third annual Shale Gas Environmental Summit.

Ms Festa, a senior energy analyst, said the IEA was considering the best way forward for unconventional sources such as shale gas. She said there were real concerns which must be dealt with properly.

“Improperly addressed, legitimate concerns threaten to hold back unconventionals development,” she said. “The technologies [for clean and controlled extraction] are there, but they are not systematically used.”

The IEA produced a report earlier this year, Golden Rules for a Golden Age of Gas. Ms Festa said this contains possible “rules that could be devised to satisfy public opinion”.

The first of these is to “measure, disclose and engage” with processes and the public, while the second is "watch where you drill!"

Ms Festa noted that carbon dioxide emissions have rebounded to a record high in the past 18 months, despite a steady decrease in the United States, partly due to a decrease in coal usage and the swing towards shale gas.

“There has been a big switch to renewables and natural gas in the US,” she told the conference of academics, businessmen, senior civil servants and environmentalists. But the conference heard that excess coal was being exported to other countries, causing emissions in other parts of the world.

The conference continues tomorrow.

The IEA’s comprehensive annual energy outlook will be published in mid-November.