Record turnout for public talk about fracking
A RECORD number of people attended a lecture on fracking which ran as part of a series of talks.
The Langley Lectures is a series of talks around a variety of subjects held in the village for anyone to attend. Organisers have been seeing success at the events, selling out the first lecture of the year and enjoying good turnouts and interesting discussions.
The second talk in the series for this year saw a record number of people in the audience.
There were around 100 visitors in attendance to enjoy a talk by Ian Stewart on fracking – the controversial process of drilling for shale gas. The talk was called ‘Fracking – more heat than light?’.
Heather Self, who is part of the team which organises the lectures, said: “With a degree in geography, a lifelong interest in geology and experience in environmental law, Ian was well-placed to explain the science behind this controversial and highly topical subject.
“With samples of shale rock, diagrams and videos, this was a very entertaining and informative presentation.”
Mr Stewart said that shale gas is chemically the same as the conventional gas used for fuel today, but is much harder to extract because it is trapped in layers of shale rock deep underground.
He said the main area for gas in the UK is called the Bowland Shale, and surveys by the British Geological Survey have identified a potential area, the boundary of which goes through the centre of Macclesfield and into Sutton – but stops just short of Langley.
Heather said: “Vast reserves are already being exploited in the US but the industry in the UK is at a much earlier stage and we don’t yet know how much gas can be produced and at what cost.
“Ian explained the risks such as earthquakes were low, but expressed concern about producing more fossil fuel.
“A lively question and answer session brought a very interesting evening to an end.”
The next lecture is by Falklands war veteran Darren Poyzer, on Wednesday, February 25, 7.45pm at Langley Chapel.