A Newport-based company is helping in the search to find cheaper sources of fuel as current energy reserves diminish.

North Sea oil and gas is estimated to run out within 17 years, and several UK coal and oil stations are scheduled to close by 2015 to meet emissions targets, causing a shortfall in generating capacity. Power cuts will be inevitable unless a viable solution is found – and quickly.

To meet this shortfall, the onshore oil and gas industry is now exploring previously undeveloped fuel sources. The potential presented by the UK’s stores of shale gas, extracted through hydraulic fracturing, is significant, particularly here in Wales. There may be enough shale gas in the rocks beneath South Wales to power the UK for nearly 20 years, providing thousands of jobs and transforming our energy market in the process.

Newport-based engineering company Cintec International, which has its base in Gold Tops, has produced a suite of products designed specifically for the fracking industry aimed at improving safety and reducing capital costs.

Hydraulic fracturing - 'fracking' - involves injecting a highly-pressurised mixture of water and chemicals into shale rock deep underground, shattering the stone to release shale gas. Due to the low permeability of shale rock, these gas reserves would be inaccessible without creating these fractures.

The Senedd’s Environment and Sustainability Committee heard earlier this year that there is an estimated 50 trillion cubic feet of shale gas lying under South Wales, enough to supply the whole of Britain for the next 15 years. Gerwyn Williams, Director of onshore operators Coastal Oil and Gas, suggested that this figure may in fact generously underestimate the amount of gas available, stating, He said: “We have only just scratched the surface.”

A second development from Cintec would be used to securely store the water needed and the liquid waste produced.

Previous hydraulic fracturing operations in America have required large unsightly permanent reservoirs to be built, which can be a blight on the environment once the process is complete.

Cintec believes that the newest addition to their Waterwall range solves this problem. It is the biggest rigid-wall liquid storage tank ever produced, with an enormous 64,000 litre capacity. The free-standing hexagonal secure water storage tanks were specifically developed for the gas extraction industry and have also been used for rapid reaction water storage by fire brigades in the UK.

The inflatable tanks are can be rapidly positioned without any damage to the environment, taking just half an hour to inflate and deflate. They can be built to any size and are mobile and reusable. The tanks can also be interconnected, to provide a million litres of water, significantly reducing the amount of lorry movement needed to and from the site.

Peter James, managing director of Cintec International, said, “The comprehensive range of technologies Cintec has developed will help the shale gas extraction industry become even safer and more cost effective. We have tried to embrace every potential concern and worked closely with Gerwyn to develop an appropriate solution.

The success that the development of the shale gas industry has had in North America cannot be ignored. With such vast potential reserves underneath South Wales, there is no reason why those same successes could not be achieved here. We look forward to contributing to this exciting opportunity to solve not only our country’s urgent energy needs, but also our economic ones.”