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industry & government news

FRACKING INDUSTRY URGES GOVERNMENT

TO LOOK AGAIN AT SHALE GAS

earthquakes it might trigger.
It came after operations were halted
in Lancashire only months earlier
when homes were shaken by the UK’s
largest fracking tremor, with residents
saying houses shook during a “deep,
guttural roar”.
But Katherine Gray from UK Onshore
Oil and Gas said the looming crisis
was a “bizarre state of affairs” when
gas beneath Northern England and
the Midlands could “meet the UK’s gas
demand for 50 years”.
She said: “Our current gas crisis
should be the flashing neon prompting
the Department for Business, Energy
and Industrial Strategy needs to look
at the science and come up with
a workable plan to maximise our
abundant domestic resource.”
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has
already ruled out future fracking, saying it
would disrupt too many communities.
A government spokesperson said:
“The issues we are facing are not a
question of security of supply, but
wholesale gas prices set by international
markets. We maintain our position that
fracking will not be allowed to proceed
SHALE HAS BEEN PUT ON THE BACK BURNER in England unless compelling new
scientific evidence is provided.
THE UK’S ONSHORE oil and gas avoid a surge in gas prices next spring, “We are determined to secure a
industry has called on ministers to look according to The i newspaper. competitive future for our energy
again at shale gas amid the looming Boris Johnson announced a intensive industries such as
energy crisis. moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in manufacturing and construction, and
It comes amid warnings from England in 2019, with drilling already in recent years have provided them
trade union leaders that hundreds of blocked in the rest of the UK, after a with extensive support, including more
thousands of jobs could be lost unless scientific report warned it was not than £2 billion to help with the costs of
Downing Street takes urgent action to possible to predict the magnitude of energy and to protect jobs.”

“As we clean up the way we heat Britain’s reliance on fossil fuels and
our homes over the next decade, we move away from gas boilers over the
are backing our brilliant innovators coming decade to protect consumers in
to make clean technology like heat the long term.
pumps as cheap to buy and run as “As the technology improves and
gas boilers, supporting thousands of costs plummet over the next decade,
green jobs. we expect low carbon heating systems
“Our new grants will help will become the obvious, affordable
homeowners make the switch sooner, choice for consumers. Through our
without costing them extra, so that new grant scheme, we will ensure
going green is the better choice when people are able to choose a more
their boiler needs an upgrade.” efficient alternative in the meantime.”
Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Heat in buildings is considered one
Kwarteng said: “Recent volatile global of the largest sources of carbon dioxide
GRANTS WILL BE OFFERED FOR LOW gas prices have highlighted the need to emissions, accounting for nearly 21
CARBON HEATING SOLUTIONS double down on our efforts to reduce per cent of the UK’s total.

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18/11/2021 11:28
News.indd 2
News.indd 2 18/11/2021 11:28