Scotland Proposes Its Own Moratorium on Fracking

Only days after the UK Parliament rejected its environment audit committee's proposal to reinstate a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, Scotland has called on London to stop awarding licenses for exploration on Scottish soil.

Scotland currently does not have the authority to award or suspend licenses as it at present doesn't have sovereign rights to minerals beneath the ground surface; however, it can withhold planning permission for exploration. Energy minister Fergus Ewing said the government will make use of this power until full control of the country's resources is devolved to the parliament in Edinburgh.

The Scottish move creates a de facto moratorium on fracking on its territory for the interim period. The government has stopped short of proposing an outright ban, but says it plans a "mass consultation exercise" to gauge public sentiment. Parallel to this, it will study potential effects of fracking on human health and the environment.

Ewing said the temporary ban would "ensure that the voices of the communities most likely to be affected are heard and heard in a more formal and structured way."

Ineos, which has acquired one exploration licence and a stake in another, is seeking to frack the area surrounding the its Grangemouth site in Scotland and has said it will bid for additional permits in the next round of licensing expected to begin shortly. Most of the new licenses are expected to be for projects on English soil.

Commenting on the Scottish decision, Ineos said a Scottish moratorium could have a "devastating effect" on the future of its business and on the industry as a whole.

Other potential drillers may be less concerned about the loss of Scotland as a fracking site.

The British Geological Survey estimated in mid- 2014 that the soil across its central belt - where Ineos is seeking to drill - potentially contains 80 trillion cubic feet of shale gas compared with 1,300 tr cbf in northern England.

In Lancashire, south of the Scottish border, the county council has meanwhile agreed to postpone a vote on whether to allow drilling company Cuadrilla to explore for unconventional gas at two sites near Blackpool. The council's planning committee was expected to deny permission.

A timetable for the delayed vote has not been announced.