Mark Miller, chief executive of Cuadrilla, says that enough shale gas has been found beneath Blackpool and Preston to supply all Britain’s gas need for “more than 56 years”. He declined to say how much of that would be recoverable.
In the US, ten percent has proved to be a typical recovery rate, meaning that his company has discovered enough reserves to provide Britain’s gas for five to six years. That is not long.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3b59d762-e465-11e0-844d-00144feabdc0.html