Germany's coalition government agreed to ban fracking for shale gas indefinitely today, after years of fractious talks over the issue, but environmental groups said the ban did not go far enough and vowed to fight the deal.
Test drilling will be allowed but only with the permission of the respective state government, officials said.
German industry is keen to keep the door open to fracking - which involves blasting chemicals and water into rocks to release trapped gas - arguing it could help lower energy costs, but opposition is strong in the country, where a powerful green lobby has warned about possible risks to drinking water.
If the law is approved by parliament, Germany will follow France, which has banned fracking, whereas Britain allows it subject to strict environmental and safety guidelines.
Germany was on the verge of a parliamentary vote on similar legislation to ban fracking a year ago, but the effort stalled amid disagreements between Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and the left Social Democrats (SPD).
The two parties agreed today to an indefinite ban, but the compromise legislation calls for the German parliament to reassess...
