The UK’s shale carrot
Will paying people to like fracking change the outlook for UK gas?
PRIME minister Theresa May's new government wants to make fracking more palatable for the public by offering up to £1bn ($1.3bn) in payments to them over the next 25 years. The Shale Wealth Fund (SWF), announced on 8 August, would use up to 10% of tax revenues from future shale gas production and give the funds to the public. The crucial difference between the SWF and previous government pledges to compensate for shale gas development is that now the money will go straight to individual households - not handed out to local authorities. The SWF even betters a previous shale gas compensation pledge from petrochemical giant Ineos - which wants to drill for shale gas - to pay local communities 6
Also in this section
8 December 2025
The Caribbean country’s role in the global oil market is significantly diminished, but disruptions caused by outright conflict would still have implications for US Gulf Coast refineries
5 December 2025
Mistaken assumptions around an oil bull run that never happened are a warning over the talk of a supply glut
4 December 2025
Time is running out for Lukoil and Rosneft to divest international assets that will be mostly rendered useless to them when the US sanctions deadline arrives in mid-December
3 December 2025
Aramco’s pursuit of $30b in US gas partnerships marks a strategic pivot. The US gains capital and certainty; Saudi Arabia gains access, flexibility and a new export future
