A draft government study suggests fewer jobs will be created by fracking than prime minister David Cameron has claimed - according to a report in the Financial Times.
The article quotes figures from engineering consultancy AMEC, which reportedly claims 15,900 to 24,300 full time equivalent jobs will be created at the peak of production.
Mr Cameron had previously quoted a number from an Institute of Directors report commissioned by shale gas explorer, Cuadrilla. In an opinion editorial in the Telegraph last month, the prime minister said "….74,000 posts could be supported by a thriving shale-gas industry in this country".
The draft AMEC report also seems to have warned that many of the jobs may not go to local areas. It used a recent fracking operation in Lancashire as an example, during which only 17% of jobs went to local people.
AMEC is advising the energy department as part of a government Strategic Environmental Assessment ahead of the 14th onshore Oil and Gas licensing round.
Recent evidence to a Lords Committee from consultants Poyry, who also prepared a report for Cuadrilla, suggested shale gas may directly employ between 40-60,000 people, and more indirectly, but that significant production would not come on-stream until the mid-2020's with the potential for further delays.
AMEC and the IOD are understood to have made different assumptions about the speed with which shale gas wells will be drilled. The DECC study also reportedly suggests more trucks will be needed than previously thought.
The consultants suggest 46 vehicle movements a day will be required at fracking sites for between 46 and 117 weeks. The IOD had suggested the number would be between 6 and 17.
Speaking to the FT, Ken Cronin, Chair of the UK Onshore Operators Group, warned that peak construction in the shale gas industry would not be reached for more than a decade - with the first commercial drilling starting in around 7 years.
DECC refused to comment on the unpublished figures, saying it would wait until the final consultation was published.
