Jamie Waller Local Democracy Reporting Service and Sharon EdwardsBBC News
The UK has been encouraged to open a Lincolnshire gas field to fracking to bring down energy bills.
Earlier this month it was suggested the Gainsborough Trough sedimentary basin could supply more than 16 trillion cubic feet of gas.
Speaking at the Lincolnshire Energy Conference on Tuesday, George Yates, chief executive of HEYCO Energy Group, an American company that has has been exploring gas deposits in the area, claimed opening the field would create jobs, boost the economy and lower carbon emissions by making the UK less reliant on imports.
However, opponents insist fracking risks water, air and noise pollution.
The process of extracting gas, known as fracking, is facing a complete ban by the government, meaning there would need to be a change of policy.
Mr Yates said: “What I’m admonishing Lincolnshire to do, the country to do, is use the very best energy technologies, which is hydraulic fracking.”
Mr Yates suggested the UK would need gas “for decades”, adding: “The question is, will it be a producer or an importer?
“The country is already in the shale gas business – it’s just not developing its own resources or reaping the benefits.”
Mr Yates said using homegrown gas would be greener than importing it.
Projections showed the Gainsborough reserves would last for 36 years, and could meet the UK’s demand for gas for nearly seven years on its own.