The government has lifted a prohibition on fracking for shale gas, prompting charges that it has violated a manifesto pledge not to endorse the controversial method unless scientists demonstrated that it could be “categorically” done safely.
The government has lifted a moratorium on fracking for shale gas that had been in place since 2019 due to a string of earthquakes, despite a review finding that predicting earthquakes connected to fracking “remains a scientific problem.”
Jacob Rees-Mogg, secretary of state for business and energy, stated that boosting the United Kingdom’s energy security is “an absolute priority” given “Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and energy weaponization.”
To make the United Kingdom a net energy exporter by 2040, the country must investigate “all routes accessible to us through solar, wind, oil, and gas production – therefore it’s appropriate that we’ve lifted the moratorium on any prospective domestic gas sources,” he said.
The government claims the gas could begin flowing within six months, but others estimate it might take up to a decade, doing little to improve energy security or reduce costs. Its climate advisors have cautioned against locking the nation into fossil fuel infrastructure when it should be moving to renewable energy.
In February, as business secretary, Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng stated that increased UK gas production would not affect worldwide gas prices.
UK producers will not sell shale gas below market price to UK consumers. They are not a charity “he commented at the time.
The government has also announced plans for a new oil and gas licensing round to begin in October, paving the door for more than a hundred new exploration licenses that could involve fracking.
Ed Miliband, the opposition secretary for climate change and net zero, referred to hydraulic fracturing as a “dangerous fantasy.”
He stated, “It costs significantly more than renewables, it is dangerous, and it is extremely unpopular with the people.”
The administration restated its intention to permit fracking “where there is local support” – prior attempts were met with vehement opposition from locals.
According to the most recent government poll, only 17% of the public supported fracking in autumn 2021, while 87% favored renewable energy.
Mr. Miliband accused the Conservatives of violating a 2019 campaign vow that stated they would not embrace fracking “until the science demonstrates unequivocally that it can be done safely.”
In April, the government commissioned the British Geological Survey (BGS) to determine if there had been any advancements in techniques to “reduce the risk and magnitude of seismic events” from the shale gas extraction method, which involves drilling into the earth and firing a high-pressure mixture at the rock to release the gas inside.
The peer-reviewed paper, which has been with the department of business and energy since July but was just released today, acknowledged that predicting the occurrence and magnitude of big earthquakes “remains a difficulty for the geoscience community.
It noted that some novel analysis approaches “may aid in risk management,” but stated that they require more research before they can be incorporated into risk assessments.
Andrew Aplin, an honorary professor of earth sciences at Durham University, stated that the data demonstrates that “our ability to anticipate the size of fracking-induced earthquakes has hardly changed.”
He advised policymakers to concentrate on decreasing gas demand as opposed to expanding supply.
Numerous think tanks assert that upgrading homes with insulation would also reduce energy costs, but the government has resisted these recommendations.
However, Prime Minister Liz Truss has committed to freeze annual energy prices at an average of £2,500, which will be financed through borrowing.
