Operational best practices and “robustly enforced” regulation can make hydraulic fracturing (fracking) a safe practice in the United Kingdom, according to a review by the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering.

“There has been much speculation around the safety of shale gas extraction following examples of poor practice in the U.S.,” said review working group Chair Robert Mair. “We found that well integrity is of key importance, but the most common areas of concern, such as the causation of earthquakes with any significant impact or fractures reaching and contaminating drinking water, were very low risk.”

Mair said fracking is not “completely risk-free” and the practice requires strict regulation by the government. “In particular, we emphasize the need for further development and support of the UK’s regulatory system, together with environmental risk assessments for all shale gas operations and more extensive inspections and testing to ensure the integrity of every well,” he said.

The review examined the scientific and engineering evidence relating to the environmental and health and safety risks associated with onshore extraction of shale gas. Findings that led to the conclusion that the practice could be undertaken safely include:

A particular cause for concern is that poor cementation and casing failures of wells could lead to leakages and wider environmental contamination, as they have in some cases in the U.S., according to the review, whose authors concluded that the priority must be to ensure the integrity of every well throughout its lifetime.

Reviewers recommendations for making fracking safe in the UK include:

“…[T]his review is not an exhaustive analysis of all the issues associated with shale gas and we have highlighted a number of issues that we believe merit further consideration, including the climate risks associated with the extraction and subsequent use of shale gas and the public acceptability of hydraulic fracturing,” Mair said.