Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of (a) known available oil and gas reserves and (b) reserves estimated to be found as a result of fracking she plans to be left unexploited.

Andrea Leadsom

The amount of exploitable oil and gas reserves is determined by their commercial viability, which is a decision for industry. The shale gas industry in the UK is still at a very early stage and production has not yet started. The Government will not be able to forecast the scale or timing of shale development until the results from first exploration sites are available and it is possible to estimate the extent of gas that can be technically and commercially recovered.