Britain: No Change in Shale Position
Minister for Energy and Climate Change Charles Hendry has said Britain is not considering banning shale gas exploration following a drilling suspension in Lancashire, northwest England, where two tremors were measured near a Cuadrilla Resources exploration site in April and May.
"We haven't felt a ban was necessary. Our view has been that the safety approach which we have in the UK is sufficiently robust and as long as it satisfies those issues it's a legitimate activity," Hendry said speaking during the Reuters Global Energy and Climate Summit in London
He added that he was certain the Cuadrilla site did not contaminate water supplies, a concern which has led other countries, such as France, to consider a ban.
"I am very satisfied that it can't (contaminate water supplies). There are several thousand feet separating the water table and where the shale gas is," he said speaking about a visit to the site.
"We believe that unconventional gas does have a role to play and we're keen to see that taken forward subject to very stringent safety rules and regulations."
Shadow energy minister Huw Irranca-Davies reiterated Labour's call for the government to impose an immediate moratorium on shale gas projects in the UK until it has commissioned and completed its own report on the likely impact of hydraulical fracturing technology.
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