Written by RT News

Published time: November 09, 2013

Households right across the south of England should prepare for gas fracking in their backyards, a senior government minster warned. He also said the government would be cutting back on the number of wind farms built in the future.

Michael Fallon said that a study by the water industry, due to be  released in a few weeks, will conclude that fracking is safe.

Fallon, a conservative minister, who has posts in the business  and energy departments, which might be why he knows the results  of the study by the water industry before they have been  officially published, said that Britain could emulate US states  like Texas, in the extraction of shale gas.

Counties in the Conservative heartlands of southern England, such  as Wiltshire, surrey, Hampshire, Sussex and Kent could become  major centers for fracking, he told the Telegraph.

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a controversial method of  extracting small pockets of gas trapped in rock by pumping in  pressurized water and a toxic mix of chemicals. Supporters say it  produces large amounts of cheap energy but critics say it’s  dangerous, can pollute the water table and cause other  environmental damage and earth tremors.

Water UK, which represents Britain’s water companies, was  concerned about the pollution effects of fracking and began a  study into its safety earlier this year. However, Fallon said  that it will conclude that there is no risk of contaminating  water supplies though fracking.

The report by the water companies will be seen as part of the  wider government drive to dispel fears about shale gas.

For their part energy companies involved in fracking have  promised one-off payments of £100,000 when an exploratory well is  drilled and 1% of revenues to be handed over to local communities  should drilling be successful .

But it is the environmental  fears that led to a  determined protest at Balcomb in West Sussex earlier this year,  where local residents joined with hardcore activists to protest a  proposed shale gas site being  tested for its  commercial  viability by energy giant Cuadrilla.

Until now fracking in the UK has been focused in the north of  England but next year the British Geological Survey will publish  a map of southern England in which it will identify areas rich in  shale gas.

Fallon added that he had discussed the lucrative benefits of  fracking with the governor of Texas, Rick Perry, and admitted  that while the US state had little in common with the densely  populated Home Counties of England, Fracking could still bring  the UK many benefits.

“He was telling me about the number of new businesses that  shale had brought to Texas – technology companies, energy  companies, lots of new jobs,” he said.

In October a report emerged in the US that hydraulic fracturing  produced 280 billion gallons of toxic waste last year in the  country much of it containing cancer causing radioactive  substances. While a single well can produce between two and nine  million gallons of waste water combined with sand and chemicals.

While a UK study also in October found that although fracking  presented a low risk to public health, it also found that the  risk was only low if there was no operational failure and the  wells were constructed and maintained properly.

There were 250 protests across 26 countries on the 19 October  against fracking organized by Global Frackdown.

Gas versus wind

In other comments, Fallon said that he would block planning  permission for wind farms – which have also proved controversial  and unpopular with local residents – and said that only one in  three farms is being  approved by the government  following a tightening up of planning restrictions.

However, many wind farms, both on and off shore, have already  been built and while unsightly do not cause any environmental  damage.

Wind farms have also been branded as uneconomical and of  generating subsidies worth up to £900 million for Britain’s ‘big  six’ energy companies.

Wind farms, say their opponents, are also only capable of  providing intermittent electricity and on days when there is no  wind old style fossil fuel power stations are still needed to  make up the shortfall.

An analysis of the industry’s figures published last month showed  the government subsidy for building wind farms is worth £200  million more than the income energy companies get from the  electricity they actually produce.

This figure will be further compounded by the above-inflation  increases in energy bills, which have been blamed on green levies  such as wind farm subsidies. At the beginning of October Scottish  and Southern Energy (SSE) announced an 8.2% rise in domestic fuel  bills, with other companies expected to announce similar price  hikes.

Related articles

• Politicians Want Their Profits – Fracking ‘is safe … and it’s coming soon’ (streetdemocracy.wordpress.com)
• Minister’s vow on fracking ‘myths’ (standard.co.uk)
• Fracking ‘across the south’ with manageable risks, minister says (thetimes.co.uk)