Fracking could return to South Yorkshire sites as Liz Truss overturns ban

Speaking in the House of Commons Today, ms Truss unveiled a package of measures to support residents who are facing crippling energy bills this winter.

Energy bills will capped at £2,500 a year for the next two years, and the deployment of renewable energy sources such as hydrogen and solar power will be "sped up".

She also told the Commons today that the government will "end the moratorium on extracting our huge reserves of shale, which could get gas flowing as soon as six months, where there is local support for it"

In 2019, the government ended its support for fracking in England, based on the findings of a report by the Oil and Gas Authority, which concluded “it is not possible with current technology to accurately predict the probability of tremors associated with fracking”.

However, in the face of soaring energy bills since Russia invaded Ukraine, the new Conservative leader announced a package of support today in the Commons.

The Telegraph reports that the first permission requests for drilling could come within weeks.

Potential fracking sites in South Yorkshire including Harthill and Woodsetts, and nearby Marsh Lane in North East Derbyshire may be considered once again, despite long-running campaigns against the plans.

Rother Valley’s Conservative MP, Alexander Stafford, has spoken against fracking in his constituency, stating in 2021 that he is “resolutely and absolutely opposed to fracking in any form, as are the majority of residents across the North and the Midlands.”

He added: “My professional background consists of working for WWF and Shell on environmental issues, so I know all too well how harmful fracking can be to our local communities.

“We should not be focusing on yesterday’s technology such as fracking.

“The writing is on the wall that fracking has no future in Rother Valley, in the Blue Wall, or in the United Kingdom.”