In an effort to reduce Britain’s dependence on imported energy, given the rising energy costs – caused in part by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – Secretary of State Kwasi Kwarteng insisted it was “absolutely right to investigate all possible domestic energy sources “. The Conservatives promised in their 2019 manifesto that they would not support shale gas extraction “unless science clearly shows that it can be done safely.” Some senior Tory lawmakers have pushed for fracking to be part of the government’s long-delayed energy security strategy, which is expected to be released on Thursday. The strategy is designed to include more ambitious targets for onshore and offshore wind energy. Kwarteng suggested he would also investigate expanding fracking – a move he so far seems to be resisting. He said on Tuesday that the government would be “guided by shale gas science” and that “fracking in England would take years of exploration and development before commercial quantities of natural gas could be produced for the market.” certainly have no effect on prices in the short term. However, there will continue to be a steady demand for oil and gas in the coming decades as we move to cheap renewable energy and new nuclear power. “ He continued: “In the light of Putin’s criminal invasion of Ukraine, it is absolutely right to explore all possible domestic energy sources. However, unless the latest scientific evidence shows that shale gas extraction is safe, viable and causes minimal inconvenience to those living and working nearby, the cessation in England will remain in effect. The British Geological Survey has been asked to investigate whether there are new fracking techniques that scientists believe would be suitable for use in the UK and how the magnitude of the vibrations caused by shale gas extraction is comparable to other forms of underground power generation. The study will also look at whether there are sites other than those found in Lancashire that could have a lower risk of vibration. Fracking is potentially polluting and annoying for communities and many experts say it would take up to a decade to reap the benefits and the amount of gas would not affect world prices. His return appeared to be further hampered by a lack of support from Tory MPs, the Guardian revealed. Just five Conservative MPs from a pool of 138 who were asked whose constituencies have exploration permits said they supported the measure in their constituency. A total of 41 said they were against, while the rest declined to comment or did not respond. Where fracking has been tried, there has been great local opposition and anger over earthquakes. Boris Johnson has resisted the final closure of two shale gas wells in Lancashire, which were due to close on June 30. Last month, Kwarteng said his prime minister had told him “it made no sense” to concrete the wells. This article was modified on April 5 to refer to the “British Geological Survey” instead of the “British Geographical Survey”.
