Published in ERW, 29 Oct 2012
A controversial method for extracting gas known as fracking consumes less freshwater than mining coal in Texas, according to a US study. The result goes against a claim of some of the method’s opponents, who had said that fracking was particularly water-intensive.
Fracking – or hydraulic fracturing, in full – to extract shale gas involves drilling a well between 1,500 and 3,000 metres deep before running a perforated steel pipe horizontally through a shale deposit. Millions of litres of water, as well as sand and chemicals, are then pumped into the pipe at high pressure, creating fractures in the (normally impermeable) shale around it. Natural gas can then flow from the shale into the pipe, from which the gas can be extracted. […]
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