The BGS review will examine whether there have been new technological advances in shale gas extraction that could justify lifting the moratorium. The exhibition is expected at the end of June. Stephen Bowler, chief executive of fracking iGas, said: “It’s really a choice for the country. If people do not want any inconvenience, then we can continue to rely on imports, but that will affect the prices people pay. “Everything you do has an impact on the communities where you operate and it is important to explain what you do to people and do it well. We have a geothermal business and it is obviously renewable, but it works with a similar principle as fracking. “The controversy here is not really about science. The decision to ban fracking was made shortly before the general election. They said they would be guided by science, but I think it is also a matter of public opinion.” He said iGas consulted with the local community when it set up a gas extraction project in north Nottinghamshire. “The local community was much happier since we started working with them and ended up digging so much well because we were able to build trust,” he said. “We had several open days and had a room in the back of a local pub where people could come and talk to me and the rest of the group. “We had to explain what it really meant. For example, many people did not know that when you open a well, the platform leaves and you are left with a well that is two or three feet high.”
