The company at the forefront of Britain's stalled fracking industry has warned it will be forced to start permanently plugging its wells within days unless ministers back up plans for a revival with urgent action.
Francis Egan, chief executive of Cuadrilla, said he is still under orders to seal the wells by the end of June, despite suggestions from Whitehall that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is once again open to fracking to help wean Europe off reliance on Russian gas.
The Telegraph reports that Mr Egan stated that the capping process takes several weeks and will have to begin shortly to meet the deadline - depriving the country of one of its best hopes for accessing a resource that supporters claim would offer energy independence.
It came as UK Government officials discussed keeping coal-fired power plants open for longer and said they were willing to consider extending the life of the Sizewell B nuclear site.
Mr Egan told the Telegraph: "As it takes between two and three months to complete the work, we must start on site imminently.
"Unfortunately, the Government is failing to match its rhetoric with action.
"If the Prime Minister and Secretary of State's words are to count, then officials must be instructed to stop dragging their heels and frustrating the Government's wishes."
The UK gets less than 3% of its gas from Russia, but ties to international markets mean it is vulnerable to price shocks as the Continent seeks to break free of Vladimir Putin's regime.
Fracking, which involves pumping water and sand at high pressure into rocks to release trapped gas, has helped turn the US into a net natural gas exporter.
Supporters of the industry claim that Britain could use the technique to access vast reserves of shale gas, with just 10% of resources available enough to make the UK self-sufficient for 50 years.
Cuadrilla has sunk several exploratory wells in Lancashire, but faced repeated protests after its activities caused earth tremors. A fracking moratorium was introduced by the Conservatives in the run-up to the 2019 election.
At the end of 2019, the Scottish Government set out a finalised policy of no support for unconventional oil and gas development, which includes fracking.
FTSE 100
The FTSE 100, the UK's leading share index, closed up 37 points yesterday at 7,193 and was down 83 points at 7,109 shortly after opening this morning.
The Brent oil futures price was down 4.03% at $102.84 a barrel.
Companies reporting today
- Full-year results: Informa, TI Fluid Systems, TP ICAP Group, Ultra Electronics Holdings
- Half-year results: Close Brothers Group