Report suggests shale oil in the Weald Basin is a viable concern

摘要

Up to 1.143bn.t of shale oil could exist within the Weald Basin (pictured) in Kent, Surrey and Sussex according to a new report undertaken by the British Geological Survey (BGS) for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc). However due to geological uncertainty, the BGS has warned that the volume could be as low as 273M.t and that it is not known what percentage of the oil present could be extracted commercially. The central estimate for the resource is 591M.t. The BGS study looked at five units within the Jurassic deposits of the Weald Basin, which contain organic-rich marine shales. The units covered by the report are the Mid and Upper Lias Clays (Lower Jurassic) and the Oxford Clay, Corallian Clay and Kimmeridge Clay (Upper Jurassic). The report said: "Conventional oil and gas fields in the basin attest to the capability of some of these units to produce hydrocarbons.