Next steps for shale gas production

The Government has published a regulatory roadmap for shale oil and gas developers along with a Strategic Environmental Assessment report, for consultation.

The roadmap sets out the series of permits and permissions developers need to obtain prior to drilling for onshore oil and gas. It aims to provide certainty to investors and local communities about what the permitting process entails.

Meanwhile, the Strategic Environmental Assessment sets out the potential economic and environmental effects of further oil and gas activity in Great Britain, including shale oil and gas production, comparing a “low activity” and “high activity” scenario.

The consultation will run until March 2014.