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The problem here is the use of chemicals that can contaminate the groundwater, as well as the drilling itself, which usually leads through layers that conduct groundwater.
Also read: Germany’s ping-pong game about fracking
The British government recently lifted a fracking moratorium because of the rapidly increasing energy prices. Germany, however, continues to hold back. In 2016, unconventional fracking, in which gas is extracted from shale, clay, marl or coal seams, was banned by law. The aim of the ban was to protect the environment and health from the risks of using this technology. But now experts are also speaking up in Germany who see fracking as the solution to making themselves a little more independent of imports.