Scottish government states fracking "cannot and will not take place in Scotland"

The Scottish government has said that fracking "cannot and will not take place in Scotland". Scottish Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse told Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSP's) that the present moratorium on fracking, which has been in place since 2015, will continue "indefinitely". He went on to say that MSPs will be given a vote on the issue later in the year before a final decision is taken.

Underground coal gasification has been stopped because of environmental fears and a public consultation, which was launched in January 2017, resulted in 99% of responses opposed to fracking. Fracking involves drilling down into the earth then a high-pressure water mixture is focused on the rock to release the gas inside. A number of criticisms have been levelled at the process, including the large amounts of water that has to be transported to the fracking site and concerns about the escape of potentially carcinogenic chemicals used which then may escape and contaminate groundwater around the fracking site. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had said she was "highly sceptical" about the process of fracking and its potential impact on the environment, health and local communities.