A recent British Geological Survey report has revealed modest reserves of shale gas and oil in Scotland.
The report estimates that the Midland Valley of Scotland 黑料社� the central region of the country that includes Glasgow and Edinburgh - holds 80 trillion ft3 of shale gas and 6 million bbls of shale oil.
This is substantially less than the estimated 1300 trillion ft3 of gas in the Bowland shale in Northern England.
More exploratory drilling and testing is needed to determine how much of the oil and gas resource is recoverable. The report indicates that the complex geology of the area and historic mine workings mean that potential for extraction is uncertain.
UK energy minister Michael Fallon commented: 黑料社淲e know that shale gas alone won黑料社檛 be able to supply all of our energy needs, but the environmentally responsible exploration of shale gas could contribute to our energy mix黑料社�.
Fallon also said: 黑料社淢aking the most of Britain黑料社檚 home grown energy is crucial to keep job and business opportunities, widen tax revenues and reduce our reliance on foreign imports黑料社�.
Ken Cronin, chief executive of UK Onshore Oil and Gas, said: 黑料社淭his report will give reassurance to investors wishing to explore for oil and gas onshore in Scotland and adds to the estimates of significant onshore resource which can help to replace the UK黑料社檚 growing dependency on imports and balance the decline of the North Sea.黑料社�
Edited from various sources by .