Fracking: regulators lift order requiring Cuadrilla to plug its shale wells by the end of June

Responding to the news that the UK’s only shale gas wells will not be sealed up by June 2022 as previously planned, Danny Gross, energy campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said:

“Leaving the door open to fracking on the basis that it could solve the nation’s energy woes is simply wishful thinking. Fracking would do little to nothing for energy prices or energy security. What we need are real solutions that can help lower people’s energy bills, and fracking just isn’t part of that mix.

“Renewable energy, alongside a massive programme to insulate the country’s inefficient homes, is the quickest and cleanest way to bring down soaring energy costs.

“Communities that have stood up to would-be frackers in the past have already said they’ll do so again if the places they live, and love, are threatened. It remains incredibly unpopular across the country.”