MOSCOW, July 28 (RIA Novosti) – British government on Monday gave the go-ahead to energy companies to drill and hydraulically fracture (frack) onshore wells in national parks and sites designated as “world heritage” by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), according to an official statement.
“Ministers today opened the bidding process for companies seeking licences to explore for onshore oil and gas, to help discover how the gas under our feet can help power our homes,” the government said in a press release.
Business and Energy Minister Matthew Hancock also released guidelines for companies seeking to frack in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, World Heritage sites, National Parks, or on the Norfolk Broads.
The government vowed however that the UK Environment Agency will also have a say in the matter. “It is clear that applications should be refused in these areas other than in exceptional circumstances and in the public interest,” the UK authority said.
The move will unlock shale gas in Britain, providing the nation with “greater energy security, jobs and growth,” according to Matthew Hancock.
Communities Minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon added that authorities “recognize there are areas of outstanding landscape and scenic beauty where the environmental and heritage qualities need to be carefully balanced against the benefits of oil and gas from unconventional hydrocarbons.”
In this regard, he said “proposals for such development must recognize the importance of these sites.”
Even with special conditions and added scrutiny in place for such bidders, this decision is bound to meet a public outcry, such as a campaign that last week hindered energy exploration near the West Sussex village of Wisborough, the UK’s Independent newspaper said.
UNESCO previously warned that fracking could impact World Heritage sites “as a result of pollution, industrial infrastructure and shocks to geological formations.”
