Fracking has somehow become embroiled in the ongoing mayhem surrounding the government – but just what is it, and why is it so controversial?
Prime minister Liz Truss announced in September that she would be lifting the ban on the controversial technique, so developers can look for planning permission in areas where the local community back it.
Then, on Wednesday night, Labour tried to table a motion which would effectively give MPs time to counter the government’s fracking plan.
The motion was defeated and the government won comfortably, but around 40 Tory MPs failed to vote. This comes after the party whips warned MPs the vote was effectively a vote of confidence in the government.
Here’s what you need to know.
What is fracking?
Fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing, is a method for recovering gas and oil from shale rock.
By drilling into the ground and pushing a high-pressure mix of water, sand and chemical at rock, gas can be released from inside by splitting the rock open.
But, since 2019, fracking for shale gas has only occurred on a small scale and even then has faced several legal oppositions.
For instance, oil and gas exploration firm, Cuadrilla, was told to permanently abandon its wells in Lancashire by June 2022 by the Oil and Gas Authority, after a wave of protests over the safety of the practice and the impact on the climate.
There are large quantities of shale gas across the UK and, at one stage, more than 100 exploration and drilling licences were handed out to different companies, demonstrating how much interest there is in the technique.
Why was it banned – and why might it be back on the agenda?
Truss’s predecessor, Boris Johnson, halted fracking three years ago, meaning it has not been employed on a large scale in the UK since 2019.
The ban came after the Oil and Gas Authority published an inconclusive report into the impact it had on earth tremors.
Downing Street sparked speculation it would return to fracking in April this year, when energy bills first started to sky-rocket (due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine) and forecasters predicted a cost of living crisis.
The British Geological Survey submitted a report to the government about how the science behind the practice could be changed back in July, but the findings have not been published yet.
Truss claimed that this would allow the UK to develop a stable environment – enticing investors – while “we transition to net zero”.
Why do some people hate it?
Fracking is a deeply controversial topic, with both environmentalists and safety experts condemning the practice.
Even Kwasi Kwarteng, Truss’s first chancellor (he was fired on Friday), mentioned the shortfalls of fracking when he was the business secretary.
As the BBC’s Simon Jack pointed out on Twitter, Kwarteng noted: “No amount of shale gas from wells across rural England would be enough to lower European price any time soon.
“And with best will in the world, private companies are not going to sell the shale gas they produce to UK consumers below the market price.”
Kwarteng also said that fracking “would come at a high cost for communities and the countryside” at the time.
Environmentalists have also pointed out that fracking has been linked to earth tremors, because of the way substances are injected into the rocks.
While these tremors do not pose a widespread threat, it can cause disruption to local communities.
The process uses a lot of water too, which is particularly wasteful.
Labour is also opposed to it, according to its energy policy back in March, and as The Guardian previously found, only five out of the 138 MPs in the areas where fracking might be a possibility in England support it.
Devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland still oppose fracking, too.
The UK’s shale gas reserves are also harder to access geologically complex rock layers, compared to the US, where fracking has been praised for cutting energy costs.
“It’s much more difficult to develop shale in the UK than the US...and the quality of our shale is not as good,” Iain Conn, former chief executive of energy firm Centrica, told the BBC.
Fracking is still banned in Germany, France and Spain, too.
Why do some people support it?
It could lower energy bills. Right now, the UK is the most affected country in the whole of western Europe (and third most-impacted in the whole of the continent) when it comes to the energy crisis induced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The UK can currently only meet 48% of its gas demands, and existing gas fields are empty. The UK also depleted its gas storage over the winter, meaning it is in a particularly vulnerable position.
The Net Zero Scrutiny Group, made up of some Tory MPs, has been pushing the reopening of Cuadrilla’s two wells in Lancashire.
The firm Cuadrilla also claims that “just 10%” of the gas from shale deposits in Lancashire and the nearby areas “could supply 50 years’ worth of current UK gas demand”, although this has been disputed.
Fracking has allegedly given energy security to the US and Canada for the next century.
What happens next?
The government’s victory in the Commons means the plan to lift the fracking ban is still on (for now).
But, Downing Street has warned that “proportionate disciplinary action” will be taken against the Tory MPs who did not back the government.