Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has instructed the British Geological Survey to assess whether there have been any scientific developments that could make fracking safer.

The government imposed its fracking moratorium after drilling at Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road site near Blackpool triggered an earthquake that rocked nearby homes.

Centrica’s subsidiary, Spirit Energy, holds a 25% stake in the licenses operated by Cuadrilla at the site.

Centrica notified Cuadrilla that it would exit the licenses in 2020. But the owner of British Gas signaled its continued support for the project last week when it said it would retain its interest in the project.

Andrew Purcell, chairman of Cuadrilla owner AJ Lucas, said the site could be a “significant contributor” to UK energy demand.

Mr Purcell said: “Spirit’s technical, financial and industry expertise will prove invaluable as we continue to work with the UK government and its regulators to ensure that the UK can benefit from a domestic supply of natural gas. safe and low cost.

“It is widely recognized that natural gas will continue to play a key role in the UK’s and the world’s energy supply for decades to come… UK domestic gas has a pre-combustion carbon footprint around 50% lower than that of natural gas. gas imported by ship.

“We remain convinced that the Bowland shale gas resource which we have discovered has the potential to be a very significant contributor to the UK energy mix and in particular a cost effective source of fuel for heating UK homes and businesses.”

The Conservative Party is split over whether to allow fracking in Britain. Ministers want to ensure a reliable supply of energy for British households, but local residents are railing against potential projects near their homes.

Boris Johnson has launched a bid to further secure national energy supplies following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. European nations have become more focused on finding secure energy sources after watching Vladimir Putin cut off gas to countries that depend on his country’s supply.

Mr Johnson was encouraged to lift the ban on fracking by former Brexit minister Lord Frost, who said the government needed to ‘start fracking, be clear that sea gas from the Nord is fundamental for the future and removing VAT from energy bills”.

But local MPs often face fierce opposition from their constituents who don’t want to be disrupted by the drilling.

Mr Hunt complained to Mr Gove about the decision to allow drilling in his constituency.

He said: “I don’t see how this site has a role to play in our future energy supply needs.

“It will take years to determine if there is anything worth drilling commercially, by which time we will be well on our way to reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.

“In short, it will create enormous disruption and environmental damage for little or no economic benefit.”

But the developer of the UK Oil & Gas site hit back last week in a letter to Mr Hunt. Stephen Sanderson, managing director of UK Oil & Gas, said the Loxley project would provide “material benefit to both the public purse and the economy of Surrey” over its 20-year life.

Mr Sanderson said: ‘In relation to your assertion that the development would have little economic benefit, the estimated annual volumes of Loxley gas, derived from data from four previous drillings, well tests and other technical data are estimated…equivalent to annual gas. electricity consumption of 110,000 households or the annual electricity consumption of 200,000 households.