A poll of oil and gas professionals has revealed that unconventional gas is unlikely to become the UK’s primary source of the commodity, despite recent estimates that there may be enough reserves to make the country energy self-sufficient.

59% of participants said that they felt unconventional production would come up against too many barriers to become the UK’s primary gas source. By contrast, 41% of participants said that technological advances in recovery and the recent discovery of significant UK shale gas reserves would allow unconventional gas to dominate UK output.

The industry snapshot poll was conducted on the second day of the Gastech Exhibition and Conference in London by global independent technical advisor to the oil and gas industry GL Noble Denton. Senior professionals from across the sector also took part in the poll online.

Recent forecasts suggest that 200 Tcf of shale gas may be available onshore the UK, while offshore reserves could exceed 1000 Tcf; figures large enough to make the UK self-sufficient.

While only a small percentage of the UK's reserves are currently considered to be recoverable, estimates suggest that the country has similar shale gas potential to the United States, where unconventional reserves are predicted to account for 49% of the country's total gas production by 2035.