Government set to reveal potential fracking sites
The Government is expected to announce where fracking might potentially take place in Britain later today.
It comes after ministers controversially approved plans to allow fracking below national parks, world heritage sites and areas of outstanding natural beauty.
From around midday, the government will reveal who has successfully bid for a licence to frack in 139 parts of the country.
Key decisions on solar power will also be unveiled as part of the government's policies on clean energy.
Friday marks the final day of coal production in the UK with the closing of Kellingley Colliery in North Yorkshire.
The Government said it is now going "all out for shale" and insisted gas can be a bridge to a low carbon future.
This is despite it being a carbon emissions-producing fossil fuel - as it is cleaner than coal.
But Lord Chris Smith, chairman of the industry-backed task force on shale gas, warned there is no medium to long term future for gas without technology to capture and permanently store its emissions.
He labelled the Government's decision to scrap a £1 billion project to develop carbon capture and storage technology as "absurd".