Reuters: Britain may soon start new shale gas licensing round

Britain could soon launch a new round of licensing for shale gas exploration, pending information from the country's most advanced shale gas company and tighter regulation, Britain's Energy Minister said on Tuesday.

The government last year put a temporary halt to fracking, a process whereby water and liquid are injected at high pressure into rock formations to retrieve trapped gas, after earthquakes were measured near a fracking site operated by Cuadrilla Resources.

Energy Minister John Hayes told Reuters he had requested detailed information from Cuadrilla Resources about seismic testing, its management process and the company's timetable for moving from exploration to production.  MORE