Fracking Banned in the U.K. on Concern About Earthquakes

  • Government moves to restrict practice to tap gas reservoirs
  • Move ahead of election follows drop in support for fracking
Photographer: Matthew Lloyd/Bloomberg
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The U.K. fracking industry suffered a fatal blow as the Conservative government ended its support for the controversial practice.

The move, just weeks ahead of a general election, effectively bans new wells using hydraulic fracturing technology. Companies from Cuadrilla Resources Ltd. to Ineos Group Ltd., had been hoping to exploit reserves trapped in difficult-to-tap shale formations deep underground.