Fracking Fuels Global Gas Conversation, Energy Census Reveals

News provided by

Polecat

05 Oct, 2012, 14:33 GMT

LONDON, October 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Over three quarters of a million articles & posts over six month period

Sources indicate a rise in investment & large growth in the industry

UK tied third with China in top countries cited behind US and Canada

Fracking, the hydraulic fracturing technology that the energy industry hopes to use to expand unconventional natural gas production, is the powerhouse of the global energy conversation on gas, the inaugural Energy Census from business intelligence company Polecat has revealed.

Fracking commands 20% of the entire global conversation on gas, ahead of offshore and FLNG (Floating Liquefied Natural Gas) with a 15% and 8% share respectively. Key investment-related postings mention the rise of interest in unconventional gas and oil, especially shale gas. However, a third (33%) of fracking discussion was unhealthy suggesting a sector shrouded in controversy but with a clear majority backing.

Top Topics                        

  1. Natural Gas: 549,256                
  2. Energy Companies: 160,314            
  3. Investment: 145,681                
  4. Fracking: 139,002                
  5. Offshore: 103,508                

Top Energy Companies Cited

  1. Shell: 23,038
  2. Exxon: 18,464
  3. BP: 18,362
  4. Chesapeake Energy: 17,772
  5. Chevron: 12,710

Indicating a buoyant and growing investment outlook for the gas industry, 93% of all conversations about investment in gas is healthy, the highest rating for any gas-related topic. Likewise, overall sentiment towards the global gas industry is overwhelmingly positive with 83% of all conversation online classed as healthy.

The Energy Census on gas, conducted over a six month period (March-September 2012), was created using the MeaningMine platform that turns big data about the world's online energy conversation into intelligence. It ingests millions of pieces of online content every day, ranging from online news to social media, to create strategic in-depth insights.

In total, there were over 780,000 articles and social media posts about the gas industry over the last six months, at an average of 130,000 per month indicating huge global interest in the gas industry. The US is the dominant nation cited in 11% of postings ahead of Canada (8%), China (7%) and the UK (7%).

Bronwyn Kunhardt, Managing Director & Co-Founder,Polecat, said: "How the world keeps up on the supply and demand of our energy needs has never been such a crucial and global conversation. The inaugural Energy Census turns its sights on gas to reveal fracking as the sector amassing the most interest from an investment and environmental perspective that reaffirms the perceived economic benefits of accessing gas formerly inaccessible."

Pat Butler, Partner, Resolution, said: "There are over 4,300 articles and social media posts online about gas every single day, the inaugural Energy Census from Polecat tells us. That's an impressively large and extensive conversation, and the focus of the discussions on the topics of investment in the industry and fracking is noteworthy. On the investment issues in particular, the tone of the conversations are 93% positive, and the growing appreciation of how gas investment could impact the economics of many other industries is striking."

Visit http://www.polecat.co, follow Polecat's Twitter handle @MeaningMine and the #EnergyCensus hashtag to keep up to date on the Energy Census.

Contact: Richard Lambert +44(0)20-7025-8021, richard@braben.co.uk