Recent estimates suggest that shale gas alone could potentially provide over a third of total UK consumption by 2020, reducing dependency on imported gas up to 27% by 2035.1 Production from US shale reservoirs has increased tenfold since 2007, illustrating the viability of this prolific new source of long-term gas supply and supporting the view that shale gas could play a key role in the future of UK energy.

Although technical advancements are largely responsible for unlocking the potential of shale gas, the industry’s collaboration with a broad set of stakeholders arguably has equal and perhaps, more influence on the implementation of new shale developments.

Vice President of Engineering Technology with Range Resources Corporation, Joseph H. Frantz Jr., has worked on shale reservoirs for more than 20 years, authored and co-authored more than 40 publications and served on numerous technical committees within the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). Mr Frantz is set to examine the challenges and opportunities surrounding shale plays at an SPE Aberdeen presentation next week.

Tags: SPE Aberdeen