FracRisk’s Expected Impacts will be:

 

• Address the environmental impacts and public concerns of the fracturing that is needed for shale gas production, such as pressure buildup, gas leakage, induced seismicity, induced movement of pollutants towards freshwater aquifers and gas leakage to the atmosphere.

 

• Provide improved understanding of the hydraulic, mechanical and chemical processes controlling fracking and the consequent environmental effects in the mid and long-term timescales.

 

• Establish the most applicable monitoring techniques to provide both continuous feedback during operations, early warning of potential issues and longer-term management should significant environmental impact events occur.

 

• Suggest sound and feasible mitigation measures to contain the environmental effects should significant environmental impact events occur.

 

• Establish cooperation with key institutions in countries where shale-gas production is widely developed

 

• Minimise the environmental footprint of shale gas extraction.