Is the UK on the brink of a shale gas revolution?

Fracking hit the headlines recently when the UK government gave the go-ahead to a major expansion plan which will see firms bid for onshore oil and gas licences, but will it have the same success as it did in the US?

The ‘shale gas revolution’ has been widely tipped to eventually offer the US energy independence, but questions remain whether it is a viable energy source for the UK. Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is the process used to retrieve shale gas from rocks by fracturing the rock with highly-pressured liquid. It has been common in the US for many years as it aims to become energy self-sufficient, but has only recently been considered in the UK. Prime Minister David Cameron has given his support to the development of fracking in the UK, suggesting it could help Britain to reduce its reli...