Shale Gas Fracking Cleared in U.K. as North Sea Fields Run Dry

The U.K. will soon see its first hydraulic fracturing of a shale gas field.

Cuadrilla Resources Ltd. plans to start the fracking in Lancashire by September after winning the first consent granted under a new U.K. government regulatory process. It’ll probably start fracking late in the third quarter, so “most likely” September, a company spokesman said.

Britain is Europe’s biggest gas consumer after Germany. Once a major producer, the U.K. increasingly relies on imports during winter months as output from the North Sea declines. It’s a risky dependency when it’s cold across Europe, such as last winter when a ...