Why is it useful?

The shale gas industry is contentious for the UK and there is very little experience of it here. By carrying out a programme of monitoring in areas of the country where there is significant potential for shale gas, interest from the industry and concern from the public, the monitoring and its results aimed to:

inform communities and operators on baseline conditions in areas being targeted for gas exploration and extraction
help regulators refine their procedures for managing the UK shale gas industry
provide the public with information and understanding on the effects of shale gas extraction if it goes ahead
improve the understanding of the sub surface and near-surface environment in the UK context of unconventional hydrocarbons, instead of relying on information from North America where conditions are different
support development of new techniques for environmental monitoring
help establish good practice for industries involved in the development of unconventional hydrocarbons
establish world leading expertise in the UK that can be applied elsewhere