Why wind power should take precedence over fracking – Yorkshire Post letters

A fracking rig.A fracking rig.
A fracking rig.
From: Glyn Wild, Highfield Terrace, Swinton, Malton.

NEIL Milbanke (The Yorkshire Post, August 10) may be correct that coal is not the way forward for our energy generation, but considering our developing climate emergency, neither is the burning of other fossil fuels such as oil and gas. He is very misleading in comparing the present gas wells in the Vale of Pickering with the proposals for fracking for shale gas.

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The handful of existing conventional wells have the benefit of about 20 years of mature planting to screen them and since being sunk have required only occasional maintenance.

Fracking protesters lobby North Yorkshire County Council.Fracking protesters lobby North Yorkshire County Council.
Fracking protesters lobby North Yorkshire County Council.

Experience from the US and Australia, however, has shown that fracking for shale gas is an extensive industrial process.

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It requires the transportation of large quantities of water (both fresh and contaminated), sand and chemicals to and from the sites. In order to maintain an adequate and continued supply of gas, the wells have to be re-fracked and new wells constantly sunk.

We do, of course, need a secure supply of energy and renewables (combined with battery storage) is now proving to be cheaper, cleaner and plentiful.

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