UK resumes fracking after seven-year hiatus
Fracking is underway again in northern England, but don’t expect a US-style shale boom any time soon
After a seven-year pause, hydraulic fracturing for shale gas restarted in the UK in mid-October. But, even if test fracking by driller Cuadrilla in north-west England goes well, it's unlikely that the industry can be scaled up as fast as the industry might like. Cuadrilla has already drilled two horizontal exploration wells at depths below 2,000m in the Bowland Shale formation at its Preston New Road site in Lancashire in anticipation of receiving a green light. Now it has the go-ahead to frack them - a process which it says will take around three months. The gas flow rate will be tested over six months with initial results expected in the first quarter 2019, according to the company. Cuadri
Also in this section
10 March 2026
From Venezuela to Hormuz, the US—backed by the most powerful military force ever assembled—is redrawing not only oil and gas flows but also the global balance of energy power
10 March 2026
By shutting the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has cut exports of distillate-rich Middle Eastern crude, jet fuel and diesel, and is holding the energy market hostage
10 March 2026
Eni’s director for global gas and LNG portfolio, Cristian Signoretto, discusses how demand will respond to rising LNG supply, and how the company is expanding its own gas and LNG operations through disciplined, capital-efficient investments
9 March 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis sees increases in output from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Kazakhstan among others before region’s murky descent
