Why fracking cannot solve Europe’s energy crisis
Exploiting the continent’s gas reserves would be harder than it has been in America
EUROPE IS GRIPPED by an energy crisis. Last year the EU imported 83% of its gas. Since then its main supplier, Russia (which provided around 40% of those imports) has slashed deliveries. Britain produces half of the gas it uses, but it is also feeling the squeeze. This leaves the continent with an urgent need either to use less gas or to find more of it elsewhere. Some—including Britain’s new prime minister, Liz Truss—think hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, could be a big part of the answer. This method of extracting oil and gas has been hugely successful in America. Could it help Europe ramp up its energy production too?
This article appeared in the The Economist explains section of the print edition under the headline “Why fracking cannot solve Europe’s energy crisis”
From the October 8th 2022 edition
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