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Sir Jim Ratcliffe is to hand ministers research that suggests Britain's shale gas reserves could bolster the domestic energy supply for 50 years.

The billionaire's energy company Ineos is preparing to submit survey data on shale gas to a fracking review which is reconsidering the case for new drilling projects.

The Telegraph reports that Ineos's work shows shale gas reserves in Britain are as rich as those found in parts of the US, where fracking has helped turn the country into a net energy exporter and kept down prices at a time of surging costs in Europe.

The company will submit the surveys to a review of shale gas fracking that is being conducted by the British Geological Survey (BGS). It is thought that other fracking operators will hand over similar data.

Sir Jim has urged the government to lift a moratorium on fracking introduced in 2019 amid fears that earthquakes were being caused by the controversial process, in which high pressure water is used to fracture rock and release trapped gas.

The ban has so far prevented Ineos from generating a return on £250m of investments into fracking projects.

Sir Jim accused the Government of prioritising the views of an "ignorant minority" in a Telegraph column last week.

In an apparent attack on climate activist Dame Vivienne Westwood, he said: "Apparently the influential voice of a fashion designer carries more weight than any number of scientific experts."

Kwasi Kwarteng, the Business Secretary, has ordered a review of fracking as part of a scramble to improve Britain's energy security following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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