London sees energy security through shale

British Energy Secretary Michael Fallon said the British economy needs to rely more on domestic energy reserves like shale gas for national security's sake. "We have to develop more home grown energy like shale," Fallon said in an interview with the Sunday Telegraph. The British Geological Survey in June estimated the Bowland shale formation in the north of the country contains 1.3 quadrillion cubic feet of natural gas. The government says shale could ensure energy security for a country where net natural gas imports are on pace to increase from 45 percent of demand in 2011 to 76 percent by 2030. Protesters last year staged several demonstrations to protest shale operations. The practice is seen as a threat to the environment. The newspaper reported the British economy has relied on imported natural gas since output from the North Sea began its decline in 2005. Fallon said Russia's grip on the regional energy sector should be a "wake-up call" for European countries. "We can't be more and more dependent on imports from unstable regions," he said.