The F Word

The UK – in common with most of the world – is in the midst of an energy crisis. The Strait of Hormuz, though which a large proportion of the world’s oil and gas is transported, has largely been closed - bringing home how fragile global energy security is. The US/Israeli offensive against Iran has led to soaring oil and gas prices, and an increased focus on other sources of energy – be they renewables, nuclear or drilling in the North Sea.

But on one area there has been silence – the “F” word. No, I’m not talking about the one used by Donald Trump in his infamous Truth Social rant. I’m talking about “fracking”.

I have to declare an interest. In a previous life, I supported both the onshore oil and gas trade body and one of the companies hoping to frack in the North Yorkshire. However, we faced opposition from a combination of local residents, what Sir Keir Starmer might term Nimbys, and environmentalists.

Politically it was something between a football and a hot brick. Fracking was enthusiastically supported by David Cameron, when he was Prime Minister, no doubt because the success of the US shale gas industry, and gained the approval of the then Energy Secretary, now LibDem leader, Sir Ed Davey, as well as North Yorkshire County Council and the local MP, Kevin Hollinrake. However, largely due the earth tremors caused when another company, Cuadrilla, drilled in the Fylde area of Lancashire, a moratorium of fracking was imposed, which was extended under subsequent PMs, Teresa May and Rishi Sunak.

When Labour came to power, the new Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, said he’d bring forward legislation to permanently ban fracking. Yet, despite repeating that vow at the last Labour party conference, nothing has happened.

So technically, fracking is in limbo, though everyone assumes its banned. No-one in politics – apart from Reform – wants to support it these days (hello Kevin). No-one wants to invest in it, not least because of the political uncertainty.

Yet in a world where Miliband is likely to approve the Jackdaw gas field, 150 miles east of Aberdeen in the North Sea, is there a change afoot that means onshore drilling could come back onto the agenda?

The argument in favour is that there is probably enough gas in the onshore fields, mostly under the north of England, to supply the UK for about 40 years. Onshore gas extraction is far easier than offshore – you drill a (pretty deep) hole in a field, pump down fluid at high pressure to break open the shale that holds the gas, draw the gas up and then connect your output into the quite extensive gas transmission network in the UK.

Those opposing fracking would say: 

1. We should not be extracting fossil fuels – which is also the argument against Jackdaw, Rosebank etc in the North Sea;

2. Fracking causes tremors. I’m not a geologist, but those I’ve spoken to assured me that, if you’d drilled east of the Pennines, you would not have had the seismic issues that Cuadrilla caused in Fylde; 

3. Drilling is disruptive to local communities. Well so are any developments. I go back to Sir Keir’s comments about making the UK a country of Yimpys not Nimbys.

Despite all the positive arguments, I can’t see Labour embracing fracking any time soon. But if you want energy security, maybe it should.