The Committee’s report ‘The compatibility of UK onshore petroleum with meeting the UK’s carbon budgets’ is the result of a new duty under the Infrastructure Act 2015. This duty requires the CCC to advise the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change about the implications of exploitation of onshore petroleum, including shale gas, for meeting UK carbon budgets.
The CCC’s report finds that the implications of UK shale gas exploitation for greenhouse gas emissions are subject to considerable uncertainty – from the size of any future industry to the potential emissions footprint of shale gas production. It also finds that exploitation of shale gas on a significant scale is not compatible with UK carbon budgets, or the 2050 commitment to reduce emissions by at least 80%, unless three tests are satisfied.
Supporting documentation:
- Annex on analytical assumptions
- Peer review by Howard Rogers – Director, Natural Gas Research Programme, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
- Peer review by Professor Fred Worrall – Dept. of Earth Sciences, University of Durham
- Sustainable Gas Institute’s White Paper on Methane and CO2 emissions from the natural gas supply chain
- Evidence submission by Prof. Nick Cowern and Robin Russell-Jones
- Spreadsheet of report exhibits
- Response from Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to the CCC’s onshore petroleum report
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