Research on geological uncertainty informs UK Government policies on shale gas and radioactive waste disposal

Impact: Impact - for External Portal › Policy and legislation, Public understanding, information and debate, Environment and sustainability - natural world and built environment

Narrative

Research into the quantification and reduction of geological uncertainty has directly resulted in changes to UK government policy relating to the subsurface as a geological resource. Through Prof Shipton’s membership of the Royal Society/Royal Academy of Engineering (Joint Academies) expert working group on risks associated with shale gas extraction in the UK, her research has informed the Department of Energy and Climate Change on ways to calculate and mitigate the risk of seismicity and associated undesirable fluid flow. The Joint Academies report resulted in the lifting of the UK Government embargo on fracking in Dec 2012, allowing exploration for shale gas in the UK to resume, with associated economic and societal benefits of an enhanced UK gas resource. Prof Lunn's membership of the UK Government Committee for Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) (2008-present) has resulted in her research informing the substantial changes made to the siting policy for UK radioactive waste disposal from February 2013.
Impact statusOpen
Category of impactPolicy and legislation, Public understanding, information and debate, Environment and sustainability - natural world and built environment
Impact levelAdoption

Keywords

  • fracking
  • shale gas
  • radioactive waste
  • geological uncertainty
  • REF2014 impact case study

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