Geologist casts doubt on shale gas claims
Last night, three geologists addressed a group in the west Clare resort of Kilkee who are opposing plans by a British-based energy company, Enegi, to commence fracking to extract the shale gas in west Clare.
In December, Enegi had published a study which found recoverable resource estimates for the area to between 1.49trn cubic feet and 3.86trn cubic feet of shale gas.
However, senior lecturer at UCD Peter Haughton said he would not be as optimistic as Enegi in terms of the reserves.
“They have to talk it up and be bullish and optimistic about the reserves in order to attract investment,” said Dr Haughton. “It is early days and the data supporting what Enegi is claiming is not in the public domain.”
He said fracking in the right place with the right regulations “is okay”.
West Clare-based consultant geologist Martin McKeown said Enegi’s estimates “could be realistic but there are more likely to be unrealistic”.
Mr McKeown pointed out Enegi has yet to drill a borehole in the area: “I hope they see sense and the arguments against the plan.”
Enegi is due to lodge its application for an exploration licence to the Department of Energy before the end of February.
