MORATORIUM ON HYDRAULIC FRACTURING

IN GREAT BRITAIN

A moratorium on hydraulic fracturing

This decision, which comes at the beginning of the election campaign launched by Boris Johnson for early elections on December 12, was taken after the report of an incident last August on a site controlled by the British energy group.

Cuadrilla near Blackpool, in the north of England, where a magnitude 2.9 earthquake shook homes "After reviewing the OGA report (...), it is clear that we do not can not rule out new unacceptable consequences for the local population, "said the Minister responsible for Enterprise and Energy, Andrea Leadsom, in a statement. "For this reason, I concluded that we should introduce a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in England with immediate effect," she said.

Strong mobilization of environmentalists

The process of hydraulic fracturing, which consists of creating underground cracks and infiltrating a mixture of water, sand and chemicals to extract gas or oil captured in the rock, was denounced by environmentalists. They consider that this technique runs counter to the United Kingdom's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Several hundred protesters have also been arrested in recent years. years of attempting to disrupt Cuadrilla operations as part of an "anti-fracking" movement.

For less energy dependence

The United Kingdom initially wanted to follow the example of the United States, where the shale industry has experienced a spectacular boom boosting the country's energy independence, thanks to the technique of hydraulic fracturing. Boris Johnson had in the past indicated his support for the industry, which was keen to significantly reduce the country's dependence on imports of natural gas - from Norway and Qatar - used to heat 80% of British homes.

The Conservative government had expected 2016 to open 20 wells by mid-2020. However, to date, only three have been drilled, with no shale gas exploitation having started and without the authorities knowing what quantities could be extracted in the long term. The Preston New Road site is the only hydraulic fracturing project underway in the UK.

The other nations of the United Kingdom - Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - are opposed to the deployment of this technique .

At the start of an election campaign where the environment will be one of the star topics, Labor chief Jeremy Corbyn called the moratorium "an electoral maneuver to try to win some votes".

If he came to power, he promised on Twitter a "real change", with the definitive ban on this technique, as it has been in France and Germany.