UK lifts ban on shale gas fracking to boost energy output amid Ukraine war
- The controversial method to dig for fossil fuels was halted in 2019
- The government said strengthening our energy security is an ‘absolute priority’, but environmentalists argue that the process hurts wildlife and causes earthquakes
Prime Minister Liz Truss had flagged the move two weeks ago, soon after taking office, in a vast energy package tackling fallout from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
“To bolster the UK’s energy security, the UK government has today lifted the moratorium on shale gas production in England,” the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said in a statement.
And it confirmed support for a new oil and gas licensing round next month for 100 new licences.
Britain had in 2019 called a halt to fracking – or hydraulic fracturing which is used to release hydrocarbons locked deep underground – due to fears it could trigger earthquakes.
“In light of Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and weaponisation of energy, strengthening our energy security is an absolute priority,” added business and energy secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg.
