REINTRODUCING fracking to the UK “would not do anything” to reduce reliance on gas, the Government has been warned.
Ministers were urged on Tuesday afternoon to end the pause on fracking which has existed in England since 2019 after an earthquake was caused in Lancashire that year by the practice.
The SNP’s energy spokesperson Alan Brown (below) said reintroducing shale gas extraction into the UK’s energy mix would be a mistake.
READ MORE: Scotland 'needs to up its game on climate change' as seas rise
He said: “Now is not the time for knee-jerk reactions given we’ve got an energy crisis. Now is the time to stay strategic and not make daft decisions.”
Despite confirming the controversial practice – which has been effectively banned in Scotland since 2015 – would remain paused in England, the business minister Greg Hands told MPs “we need to keep all of our energy options open”.
He said: “We have always been clear that the development of shale gas in the UK must be safe and cause minimal disruption and damage to those living and working nearby sites.”
“This is not a new position. Shale gas and new approaches could be part of our future energy mix but we need to be led by the science and have the support of local communities.”
Ian Duncan Smith, a former Tory leader, called on the Government to avoid a “new religion” of opposition to fossil fuels.
READ MORE: Petrol station in Scottish seaside town named most expensive place to top-up on fuel
In response to Hands’s assertion communities would be consulted on whether they would approve of fracking taking place near them, Duncan Smith said: “If we want to ask somebody, ask them whether they feel like their gas price should be rising at the rate they are, or whether they like lower gas prices.”
It comes after the head of Cuadrilla, the only firm in the UK which carried out fracking before the pause, called for the Government to restart shale gas extraction in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Chief executive Francis Egan told the BBC the Government should not seal off the only two UK wells, which are located in Little Plumpton, Lancashire.
The Oil and Gas Authority has ordered Cuadrilla to fill in the wells.
Nathan Piper, head of oil and gas research at Investec told MPs on Monday that energy prices could rise by 50% from October.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel