Climate Minister says fracking will be 'good for the environment'

Mr Stuart, who is also the Tory MP for Beverley and Holderness, said the UK imports around 55 per cent of its gas and is reliant on shipments of liquified natural gas.

But using gas produced domestically generates around half the emissions, as you do not need to chill it to -162ºC, ship it thousands of miles and regasify it, he added.

“Producing it at home has lower emissions, it’s good for the economy, it’s good for jobs and stops us paying vast sums of money to sometimes dubious regimes,” he told an Environmental Audit Committee hearing.

Anti-fracking campaigners have repeatedly raised concerns about the environmental impact of extracting the fossil fuel gas and highlighted research which shows that fracking can cause earthquakes and contaminate groundwater supplies.

Mr Stuart said all operations must comply with some of “the most rigorous environmental regulations in the world”.

But he also said it is not yet clear how much shale gas is held in the rocks beneath the UK and oil and gas firms need to conduct exploration work, before deciding whether they can run profitable drilling operations.

The British Geological Survey estimates there is between 822 and 2281 trillion cubic feet of the fossil fuel gas held in Bowland Shale and Hudder Mudstone rock formations, which cover most of the North of England. The UK consumed 2.8 trillion cubic feet of gas last year.

Companies were granted 159 Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences (PEDL) in 2014 by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) and around half cover areas in Yorkshire.

There are currently two shale gas sites in the UK: Preston New Road in Lancashire, which is operated by Cuadrilla, and Springs Road, in the East Midlands, which is a joint venture run by IGas Energy, INEOS and Egdon Resources.

According to United Kingdom Onshore Oil and Gas (UKOOG), Cuadrilla has stated it can begin extracting shale gas in a matter of months from equipment arriving onsite, if permitting and planning are expedited, while IGas could begin production within 12-18 months.

The ban on hydraulic fracturing in England, which was imposed in 2019 due to concerns over earth tremors, was lifted by Prime Minister Liz Truss last month.

She said operations will only go ahead if with “local consent”, but is yet to explain how that consent will be obtained.

Ministers are also exploring proposals to provide communities affected by fracking with financial compensation.

Fracking is a highly controversial practice which sees companies drill down and inject a mixture of water, sand and chemicals into a shale rock formation to fracture it and release the gas inside.

In a recent report compiled for the Government, the British Geological Survey stated forecasting the occurrence of large earthquakes and their expected magnitude “is complex and remains a scientific challenge”.

It also highlighted data from the USA and Canada, which suggest that on average, around 1 per cent of hydraulic fracking wells can be linked to earthquakes with magnitudes of 3 or greater, which are generally large enough to be felt by people.