According to the Northern Ireland greenhouse gas inventory 1990 – 2016 statistical bulletin, energy production was one of the top contributors to greenhouse gas emissions (20%) in 2016 but switching fuel from coal to natural gas made a large contribution to CO2 emissions reducing by 15.9% since 1990.

Northern Ireland greenhouse gas inventory 1990 – 2016 statistical bulletin, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, 2018

The Utility Regulator for Northern Ireland expects 60% of premises in Northern Ireland to have access to natural gas by 2022.

GD17 Final Determination, Utility Regulator for Northern Ireland, 2016

A report by the American National Association of Manufacturers found that the combination of increased access to natural gas from shale and the transmission lines that move that affordable energy to manufacturers across America meant 1.9 million jobs in 2015 alone.

Energizing Manufacturing, Natural Gas and Economic Growth, American National Association of Manufacturers, 2016

“An assessment of the currently available evidence indicates that the potential risks to public health from exposure to the emissions associated with shale gas extraction will be low if the operations are properly run and regulated.”

“Good on-site management and appropriate regulation of all aspects including exploratory drilling, gas capture, use and storage of hydraulic fracturing fluid, and post-operations decommissioning are essential to minimise the risk to the environment and public health. In the UK, shale gas developers and operators will be required, through the planning and environmental permitting processes, to satisfy the relevant regulators that their proposals and operations will minimise the potential for pollution and risks to public health.”

Review of the Potential Public Health Impacts of Exposures to Chemical and Radioactive Pollutants as a Result of the Shale Gas Extraction Process, Public Health England, 2014

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) greenhouse gas emissions in the United States fell to their lowest level in 17 years in 2012.

“The trend is largely the result of a rapid drop in coal-fired electricity, and a corresponding rise in electricity generated by cleaner fuels, especially natural gas.”

How and why US greenhouse gas emissions are falling, Mike Orcutt, Technology Review, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014

Listing the estimated benefits of natural gas from UK Shale the EY report states:

• At peak enough natural gas locally to heat over 20m homes
• Estimated spend of £33bn between 2016 and 2032
• To bring a single pad on-stream requires £333m
• Typical salaries of £36,000 to £160,000
• And 64,000 development jobs at peak

Getting Ready for UK Shale Gas, UKOOG and EY, 2014

A report by the IoD indicates the potential benefits of natural gas from shale:

• Tens of thousands employed in highly skilled jobs
• Opportunity to replace a proportion of the estimated £15.6 billion of gas the UK will be importing per year by 2030
• Plug the tax gap from declining North Sea revenues (1.25% of GDP)
• Manage energy costs for manufacturing
• Replace gas imports, improving energy security
• Create well-paid jobs
• Lower emissions than imported LNG
• Improved air quality

Infrastructure for Business Getting shale gas working Institute of Directors, 2013

“More than four million oil and gas related wells have been drilled in the United States since development of these energy resources began nearly 150 years ago. At least 2 million of these have been hydraulically fracture-treated, and up to 95 percent of new wells drilled today are hydraulically fractured, accounting for more than 43 percent of total U.S. oil production and 67 percent of natural gas production.”

Natural Gas From Shale: Questions and Answers, US Energy Department, Office of Fossil Fuel Energy, 2013

“Ireland’s natural gas supply needs to be better secured for the long term. Our dependence on a single stretch of pipeline in Scotland for over 90% of our gas supply is unacceptable.”

The Future of Oil and Gas in Ireland, Irish Academy of Engineering, 2013

“The health, safety and environmental risks associated with hydraulic fracturing (often termed ‘fracking’) as a means to extract shale gas can be managed effectively in the UK as long as operational best practices are implemented and enforced through regulation. Hydraulic fracturing is an established technology that has been used in the oil and gas industries for many decades. The UK has 60 years’ experience of regulating onshore and offshore oil and gas industries.”

Shale gas extraction in the UK: a review of hydraulic fracturing, The Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering, 2012

Hydraulic fracturing is a known technology and has been used for at least 60 years. It has helped produced more than 600 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 7 billion barrels of oil.

Freeing Up Energy – Hydraulic Fracturing: Unlocking America’s Natural Gas, American Petroleum Institute, 2010