FT: Make haste slowly on UK shale gas

When Britain prospected for oil and gas in the 1960s, hostile forces were largely confined to ferocious weather in the North Sea. Prospecting onshore for unconventional gas promises to be less challenging meteorologically, but far more complicated when it comes to the human business of dealing with communities across the country’s shale-bearing regions.

How waves of local anxiety and environmental activism are navigated will in part determine how much of Britain’s large reserves are ultimately developed.

The Financial Times supports shale exploitation because of the reduction in energy prices and the improvement in energy security this could bring. It is a much needed lubricant if the economy is to be rebalanced away from financial services. Drilling alone will reveal how much of this endowment can be commercially extracted. But surveying the howls accompanying the exploration at Balcombe in West Sussex, we are not optimistic about the future unless both the industry and government show rather more nous.  MORE