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The report says electricity generated from shale gas and CSG produces about half the carbon emissions as coal-fired electricity.
This places gas from shale and coals seams in the same “low emission” category as “conventional” natural gas produced from sandstone rocks.
The report, from the US Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis and the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory, used harmonised estimates from research literature to quantify the lifecycle emissions benefits of using shale gas and CSG for power generation.
With gas displacing coal in the US, the American shale gas boom has already led to that country’s greenhouse emissions declining to levels equivalent to those of about 20 years ago.
It is not just the environment benefitting either.
Increased shale gas production is also delivering cheaper power bills for families and creating jobs in hitherto unseen manufacturing industries.
