The British government has stopped the controversial oil and gas extraction fracking in the country. It announced a moratorium on Saturday, citing the risk of earthquakes.
Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom said Saturday she had a fracking moratorium on Britain based on a report from the OGA regulator responsible for oil and gas production. The UCI had investigated seismic activity near a fracking area in Blackpool, Lancashire, northwest England.
"After examining the UCI report (...) it is clear that we can not rule out further unacceptable consequences for the local population," Leadsom said. The fracking moratorium applies with immediate effect. As long as there was "no new convincing evidence" of the safety of fracking, the UK government would not approve any new fracking projects.
In conveyor technology oil or gas is pressed out of rock layers with the help of water and chemicals. So far, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government has been encouraging Fracking in the hope of reducing dependence on natural gas imports, especially from Norway and Qatar. According to the Guardian, Johnson once called Fracking "a glorious message to humanity."
Following a significant earthquake in August, the only remaining fracking hole on Preston New Road in Blackpool was exposed by the responsible company, Cuadrilla. According to estimates from the British Geological Survey, the gas deposits there cover up to 90 trillion cubic meters and could cover Britain's gas needs for the next more than a thousand years.
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The funding method is criticized not only by environmentalists, but also by the residents in the vicinity of assisted areas. A recent report on government spending has criticized fracking projects as causing high costs to local authorities for causing a series of protests, including roadblocks, and requiring the police to protect the wells.
Fracking was resumed in the UK just last year. Previously, there had already been a seven-year moratorium. The campaign has just started in the country: on December 12, the British elect a new parliament.
In Germany, fracking is prohibited for commercial purposes. In Germany, too, there was always the suggestion to use the technology.
