Written question asked by Lee Rowley (Conservative) on Friday, 26 April 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 30 April 2019. It was answered by Claire O'Neill (Conservative) on Tuesday, 7 May 2019 on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Fracking: Waste Disposal

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the potential amount of (a) waste water sludge, (b) sand and (c) filter cake produced from (i) hydraulic fracturing operations and (ii) associated water treatment in the event that the industry develops as proposed in the Government's energy policy.

Answer: The UK shale gas industry is at the very early stages of exploration and we do not yet know how much shale gas it will be possible to technologically and commercially extract from UK shale reserves. In order to determine the potential of the industry and the benefits it could bring the UK, we need exploration to go ahead and Government encourages this. Further exploration will be needed to determine the amount of waste water sludge, sand and filter cake which would be created by future shale gas development. Future waste water treatment capacity and its expansion to meet hydraulic fracturing needs is a matter for the industry.

Secondary information