Amid protests by local councils, environmental groups such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth and a myriad of citizens’ initiatives with names like "Frack Off" and "BIFF" (Britain & Ireland Frack Free), the UK government has ended its moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The decision had been widely expected following the creation of a new national Office for Unconventional Gas and Oil to deal with the controversial practice – see Plasteurope.com of 11.12.2012.

In making the announcement on 14 December, energy and climate change secretary Edward Davey said that fracking can resume throughout the country, subject to “new controls to mitigate the risk of seismic activity.” The moratorium had been put in place in mid 2011 after two small earthquakes closely followed test drilling near Blackpool in Lancashire.

Shale gas “represents a promising new potential energy resource for the UK”, that could “contribute significantly” to the country’s energy security and reduce its reliance on gas imports as it moves toward a low carbon economy, Davey remarked. He added that the decision was “based on the evidence,” after “detailed study” and that the development of resources “should not come at the expense of local communities or the environment.”

An analysis carried out by advisers to Cuadrilla – the only firm to have drilled exploratory wells in the country to date – which Davey said was “confirmed by our independent panel of experts,” concluded that the most likely cause of the tremors was the movement of frack fluid into and along fault already under stress.The new controls the government plans to impose on the practice would include, among other things, a prior review to assess seismic risk and the existence of faults, and a “traffic light” system that would categorise seismic activity and direct appropriate responses.

Beyond environmental risk or earthquakes, the UK shale gas discussion is also focused on the extent of the country’s resources. Cuadrilla believes there could be 5.6 tn cbm of reserves beneath the surface, while the British Geological Survey thinks the figure is closer to 4.2 tn cbm. “Until more exploration is done, it will not be possible to make any meaningful estimate,” Davey said.

Also coming in for criticism after the mid-December announcement was the fact that Lord John Browne, a former BP chairman, is on the board of Cuadrilla as well as being the lead non-executive on the UK government’s cabinet office board. Some see this as a conflict of interest.