fracking Articles

On September 18th, the Scottish independence referendum will take place. A hotly contested debate has taken in issues such as currency options, education policy and the potential for EU membership should Scotland vote ‘Yes’. Somewhat inevitably, however, the discussion has focused on a perpetual economic hot potato: North Sea oil.

It’s been a constant feature of our business pages and daily news bulletins, but the tearaway topic of shale shows no sign of slowing down. In the latest developments, the founder of leading scale adventurer Cuadrilla has announced his intention to explore potential shale deposits lying under the Irish Sea.

The oil and gas industry has not exactly been short of news coverage. With the debate over fracking and shale extraction raging, more wide-ranging news has had to take something of a back seat. However, an annual review by the research and consulting firm Wood Mackenzie has brought some focus back to UK oil and gas, away from shale.