Battle for hydraulic fracturing in the UK continues

18.8.2016

A British Geological Survey study of shale gas across the north of England estimated total reserves of the equivalent of more than 500 years of UK gas consumption at current levels. It is possible to extract the shale gas using the so called hydraulic fracturing (fracking) method. The British government has recently awarded dozens of licenses to companies to test for possible drilling sites across the country. No hydraulic fracturing has taken place in the UK since 2011. Operations were abandoned at a site near the northern coastal town of Blackpool after a report linked the drilling to two minor earthquakes in the area.

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Local activist groups and environmentalists say the fracking process will cause pollution and excessive traffic, and negatively affect the price of property. The fracking technology has improved over the years, and fears over the technique are, therefore, overblown. UK authorities refer to a fracking boom in the United States.

In 2014, the former finance minister George Osborne set up the Shale Wealth Fund. The UK government has recently decided that individual households affected by fracking could receive direct payments from the fund. It was previously planned that the money will go to local trusts and councils. The opposition Labour party criticized the move and wondered why there are no payouts for people affected by clean energy such as wind farms.

-tk-

Article source Deutsche Welle - Germany’s international broadcaster
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