UK reexamining shale gas fracing in push toward energy security

(Bloomberg) — Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng commissioned a geological report into the science of shale gas fracing, as the U.K. government tries to boost energy self-sufficiency in the wake of the Ukraine war.

Kwarteng wrote Tuesday to the British Geological requesting a report in three months’ time on the modeling of seismic activity in shale rocks in the U.K. The letter, which was posted on the government’s website, will add to speculation that the U.K. is preparing to reverse tack on fracing for gas.

The move comes with the government due to publish a new energy supply strategy on Thursday that aims to increase domestic energy production and reduce reliance on imports from Russia. The U.K. wants other nations to follow suit, depriving Vladimir Putin of funds for his invasion of Ukraine.

Fracing has been on pause in Britain since 2019 when a small earthquake was registered at Cuadrilla Resources Ltd.’s Preston New Road site near Blackpool. Officials last month withdrew the requirement for the company to concrete over three wells, giving it a one-year reprieve in which to prove the drilling technique is safe. 

Kwarteng’s letter indicates the government is still far from convinced about the case for fracing. The reasons for the pause in fracing “have not gone away and to date we have not identified any new, compelling evidence that would support a reassessment of the current position,” he wrote.

In a separate statement, Kwarteng also pointed out that fracking would not solve price issues in the short-term, and that it would take “years of exploration and development before commercial quantities of gas could be produced for the market.”

The new study will be desk-based and not involve the drilling of any more test wells or any extra seismic monitoring, Kwarteng’s department said.