Energy crisis: FDP wants to review fracking ban

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A fracking site in Manchester, UK

Photo: Jon Super / dpa

In view of the energy crisis, the FDP is seeking an examination of the previous ban on natural gas production in Germany through fracking.

"As scientific studies show, fracking does not cause any relevant environmental damage under modern safety standards," said the parliamentary director of the FDP, Torsten Herbst, of the "Welt am Sonntag".

Anyone who imports fracking gas from the USA cannot be against safe fracking funding in Germany.

"It should therefore be seriously examined whether larger shale gas production is feasible in Germany from an economic and technical point of view," he said.

Kruse: Check all options

The energy policy spokesman for the FDP in the Bundestag, Michael Kruse, told the newspaper that his party supports "the significant expansion of domestic natural gas production".

All options would have to be examined.

»We have always rejected the content of the fracking ban law of 2017 from this straightforward position.«

Criticism of the FDP initiative came from the Greens.

»The gas reserves in Germany are limited.

Fracking will by no means solve our current situation," said the deputy parliamentary group leader Julia Verlinden to the newspapers of the Funke media group.

In addition, it would take too long to develop these deposits.

»And then we would probably be at times when we have already significantly reduced the demand for natural gas.«

Fracking uses pressure and chemicals to extract gas or oil from rock layers, which poses environmental hazards.

Criticism is also leveled at the liquefaction through strong cooling because, according to environmentalists, this costs up to 25 percent of the energy content of the gas.

Most recently, CSU boss Markus Söder and NRW Economics Minister Andreas Pinkwart (FDP) as well as the head of the German Economic Institute (IW), Michael Hüther, called for an open-ended examination of fracking.

According to "Welt am Sonntag", the Professional Association of German Geoscientists (BDG) is in favor of considering fracking in view of the energy crisis.

In view of the war in Eastern Europe, Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck is trying to achieve energy independence from Russia as quickly as possible.

After the recent cuts in Russian gas supplies, the gas storage facilities in Germany cannot be filled to the planned extent for the winter.

Habeck has therefore brought the implementation of energy saving measures with legal means into play.

However, he rejects fracking in Germany and points to possible negative consequences for the environment and legal hurdles.