UK orders fracking report, says all energy options on the table

British business minister Kwasi Kwarteng on Tuesday ordered an expert report on the geological science of shale gas fracturing, saying all options should be on the table given soaring oil prices due to the Ukrainian war.

"While it remains the case that shale gas extraction is not the solution to near-term price issues, it is right as a government - given the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Putin's regime - that we keep all possible energy generation and production methods on the table," Kwarteng said. Britain, which imposed a moratorium on fracking in 2019, is set to publish a new energy strategy this week that would boost its domestic supplies in an effort to shield the country from surging prices since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The fracking process, which involves extracting gas from rocks by breaking them up with water and chemicals at high pressure, is fiercely opposed by environmentalists who say it is at odds with Britain's commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.