Sturgeon: No fracking licences in Scotland

The Scottish Government will not grant fracking licences despite a ban being lifted by UK ministers, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Prime Minister Liz Truss has told the Commons the ban on fracking south of the border will be lifted in order to accelerate the UK’s domestic energy supply.

Lifting the ban will allow companies to apply for planning permission to drill for shale gas.

It is a devolved matter, meaning the policy will not impact Scotland unless Scottish ministers authorise licences.

The Scottish Government has repeatedly adopted a policy position of no support for fracking, following a moratorium on the issue.

The First Minister was asked to clarify her Government’s position following the announcement at Westminster on Thursday.

Speaking during First Minister’s Questions, Ms Sturgeon said: “This is a devolved matter and our position is unchanged.

“We do not intend to grant licences for fracking.”

She quoted new Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, who previously said “no amount of shale gas would be enough to lower the European price”.

Energy prices have soared across the globe in recent weeks, with the UK Government setting out a raft of measures to help consumers with rising bills.

Ms Sturgeon also said her position on developing new nuclear energy is “unchanged”.

She added: “We do not support new nuclear, certainly not with existing technology.

“The reality is Scotland has vast potential in renewables. Offshore and onshore wind can already be generated more cheaply that gas-fired power or nuclear power.

“That is where we need to focus our efforts and that is exactly what the Scottish Government is going to do.”

Fracking is not supported by the Welsh Assembly or in Northern Ireland.

But Ms Truss told MPs that lifting the ban in England will allow the UK to loosen its reliance on the global energy market.