Herald Scotland: Revealed: secret Scots fracking plans
An Australian energy firm has been accused of hiding plans to use the controversial technique of fracking to exploit shale gas under central Scotland.
Dart Energy has insisted that it has "no plans" to mine shale gas in Scotland. But in a submission to the Australian Stock Exchange, it highlighted two major shale fields near Falkirk containing more than two trillion cubic feet of gas as "prospective" developments. The company also has an agreement with UK gas group BG for the rights to one of the shale fields, and has been promoting its Scottish shale gas assets to potential investors.
Shale gas is trapped in rock formations deep underground. It is freed by pumping in liquids under high pressure to fracture the rock, a process known as fracking. Fracking has been blamed for causing earthquakes, and contaminating water supplies with toxic chemicals.