Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

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Key definition

Fracking definition

What does Fracking mean? Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is a well stimulation technique to extract shale gas or tight oil by injecting water, sand and chemical additives at high pressure to create fractures in deep rock. In legal practice it engages petroleum licensing, planning permission and environmental permitting. In England, 'associated hydraulic fracturing' is defined in the Petroleum Act 1998 (as amended by the Infrastructure Act 2015) by reference to fluid volumes, which triggers statutory safeguards on depth, protected groundwater areas and methane monitoring. Typical instructions include: securing petroleum licences (England: North Sea Transition Authority), planning consent from the mineral planning authority, environmental permits (groundwater, mining...

Fracking after the Infrastructure Act 2015: protected areas, trespass reforms and UK planning, property and lender considerations amid the moratorium

Published by a LexisNexis Energy expert

Practice notes

Historically, the UK government backed Fracking. However, after a run of successive seismic events at the country’s only active fracking Site, operated by Cuadrilla in Lancashire, a scientific assessment by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) (formerly known as the Oil and Gas Authority) concluded that the probability of fracking‑related seismic activity could not be predicted with confidence. On the strength of that assessment, the government shifted its stance and, on 4 November 2019, issued a written statement which, on the basis of the then current scientific evidence, confirmed a presumption against granting any further hydraulic fracturing consents. This amounted to an effective, de facto moratorium, to be kept in place until compelling new evidence is brought forward addressing concerns about the prediction and management of induced seismicity. At the same time, it confirmed that it would not take forward the proposed planning reforms for shale gas developments that had been consulted on in 2018 (see: LNB News 04/11/2019 51). In September 2022, Liz Truss’ short‑lived government announced that it would lift the moratorium on fracking in the UK and that it would consider applications for Hydraulic Fracturing Consent...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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