What is fracking and what makes it controversial?

Soaring energy prices due to Russian invasion of Ukraine has prompted the UK government to explore alternative ways. It has now asked the British Geological Survey’s view on shale gas fracking.

The British government said the “all options” are on the table as it tries to reduce the country’s reliance on imported energy.

Britain had imposed a moratorium on the controversial practice of fracking in 2019 after protests by environmental groups and community activists.

The technology has transformed the US into the world’s top oil and gas producer in the last decade.

The growth in the extraction of oil and natural gas from shale and similar geologic formations is often referred to as the shale revolution.

Hydraulic fracturing, informally known as fracking, is a process that is used to extract natural gas and oil from shale and other types of sedimentary rock formations.

This method involves injecting water, sand and a mix of chemicals under high pressure into horizontally drilled wells, causing the shale to crack and release oil or natural gas.

This process creates new fractures in the rock which can extend several hundred feet away from the wellbore.

Once the injection process is over, the internal pressure of the rock formation causes fluid to return to the surface through the wellbore. It is typically stored on-site in tanks or pits before treatment, disposal or recycling.

At the top of the well on the surface, the natural gas is put into a network of pipelines and sent to processing plants.

Advances in horizontal drilling and fracking technologies have made vast reserves of oil and gas in the US commercially viable.

Residents, environmental advocates, and some researchers have expressed concerns about potential health effects and environmental impacts on water and air in their communities due to fracking.

In some cases, it may be possible for chemicals associated with fracking to travel through cracks in the rock into an underground drinking water source.

Water contamination could also occur if a well is improperly installed. Or if chemicals are spilled from trucks or tanks, or if flowback is not effectively contained. Flowback happens when water used in the hydraulic fracturing process flows out of the well.

Countries across the world including in the US, Canada and Argentina, allow fracking for oil extraction. 

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