The UK’s oil and gas regulator has withdrawn a demand that the fracking firm Cuadrilla plug and abandon two wells in Lancashire, sparking accusations that the government is reopening the door to the controversial technology.
Amid concerns about the UK’s energy security after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Boris Johnson has appeared to waver over the government’s moratorium on fracking, which was imposed in 2019.
On Thursday, the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) overturned its own order to the UK’s leading fracking firm to concrete over its wells. The decision drew fierce criticism from environmental groups, while Labour said the oil regulator had bowed to pressure from the government, a claim a Westminster official dismissed as nonsense.
The NTSA had previously told Cuadrilla to permanently plug wells at Preston New Road and Elswick by the end of June. But, after the exploration company applied on 28 March to have the decision reversed, the NSTA ruled it could delay plugging the wells for a year.
“Cuadrilla now have until the end of June next year to evaluate options for the Preston New Road and Elswick sites,” the authority said. “If no credible reuse plans are in place by then, the North Sea Transition Authority expects to reimpose decommissioning requirements.”
The statement indicates that Cuadrilla could use the extra year to draw up proposals on how to mitigate concerns, such as noise and water pollution, or small tremors that have been linked to the fracking process. A complete U-turn by the government on its opposition to fracking might allow the company to proceed with its original plans.
Kwasi Kwarteng, the secretary of state at the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial strategy (BEIS), has previously been unequivocal about his opposition to fracking, and has said the production of shale gas would not help reduce UK gas prices.
The wholesale price of gas has *quadrupled* in UK and Europe.
— Kwasi Kwarteng (@KwasiKwarteng) February 28, 2022
Additional UK production won’t materially affect the wholesale market price.
This includes fracking – UK producers won’t sell shale gas to UK consumers below the market price. They’re not charities.
(4/9)
Only 17% of the public support the technology, which has almost no support from MPs in areas with potentially exploitable gas reserves.
But despite widespread opposition, the drive to improve the UK’s energy security after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia – the world’s second largest supplier of gas and the third largest supplier of oil – has triggered calls to reopen the debate about fracking, particularly on the right of the Conservative party.
A group of backbench Conservative MPs, including members of the Net Zero Scrutiny Group (NZSG), have lobbied for the government to change its stance. Steve Baker, a members of the NZSG and a trustee of the Global Warming Policy Foundation, a thinktank accused of publishing climate scepticism, welcomed the decision and indicated that it was the result of political intervention.
“I’m pleased the prime minister & business secretary have acted on this issue,” he said.
Kwarteng said earlier this month that he was keeping an “open mind”, an apparent thawing of his position that came as a No 10 spokesperson said the prime minister wanted to “look at all our options”.
While the NSTA is an independent regulator, it is in regular contact with the BEIS, its parent department.
The shadow energy secretary, Ed Miliband, said: “This is an appalling decision by the regulator, made after pressure from government. This has nothing to do with the energy needs of the country and everything to do with the Conservatives bowing to their backbenchers.
“The government itself concluded that fracking is unsafe, and will not help our energy security or cut bills. And fracking is strongly opposed by local communities.
“It is a sign once again that this government cannot be trusted to make decisions in our national interest on energy security, bills, or the climate crisis.”
A Whitehall source dismissed as “nonsense” the idea that ministers had leaned on the NSTA to make its decision, and said the moratorium on fracking remained in place until there was compelling scientific evidence to show it was safe.
The Cuadrilla chief executive, Francis Egan, said: “I am delighted that the regulator has taken the sensible decision not to abandon the UK’s only two viable shale gas wells at this time of soaring gas prices.
“It is widely acknowledged that natural gas will continue to play a key role in UK energy supply for many decades to come, even as the country transitions to a net zero CO2 economy. The government should end the moratorium on shale gas.
A spokesperson for Greenpeace UK said: “If the UK and Europe want to end their dependence on Russian gas, the quickest way to do that is by insulating homes, installing heat pumps and boosting renewables.”
Relying on fracking to solve the UK’s energy woes is “wishful thinking”, according to Danny Gross, an energy campaigner at Friends of the Earth.
“Fracking would do little to nothing for energy prices or energy security,” he said. “What we need are real solutions that can help lower people’s energy bills, and fracking just isn’t part of that mix.”
