The paper examines the potential regional economic benefits of the development of unconventional gas. Wales (UK) represents an interesting lens through which to examine the expected effects of unconventional gas developments. In spite of significant resource endowments the region has found it difficult to internalise the economic benefits from prior energy developments. We examine whether possible commercial exploitation of unconventional gas in Wales will be any different from recent rounds of resource and energy investment. We address the challenges for resource peripheries in embedding economic activity linked to unconventional gas and show that there are dangers in generalising economic impact evidence from other states. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.