Shale gas drilling is safe and should go ahead in the UK, an official study found on Tuesday, although it immediately faced condemnation from environmental groups.
There is no more risk to the public from fracking than other comparable industries, according to the final report from the Task Force on Shale Gas.
Exploratory drilling should go ahead as soon as possible to establish clearly how much gas is available and what sort of industry might be possible, the study said.
Former British culture secretary and head of the Environment Agency Chris Smith headed up the task force.
Smith said a number of exploratory wells should be allowed to go ahead, provided operators follow strict safety and environmental standards and best practice.
He said: "The size of the UK industry’s impact will depend on its (as yet unknown) potential output.
"Only when we have a better understanding of how much gas could be recovered in the UK will the public be able to make an informed decision as to whether they support it."
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves pumping a solution at high pressure through shale to crack the rock formation, releasing trapped gas for collection.
The process, which involves firms such as Cuadrilla Resources and IGAS Energy (LON:IGAS) in the UK, has sparked protests amid concerns about its environmental impact.
In 2011, Cuadrilla, partly owned by Centrica (LON:CNA), admitted that its fracking in Lancashire probably caused a number of minor earthquakes.
Smith said the task force was convinced that gas had a role to play as a temporary energy source in the short to medium term.
But he added that it should not be allowed to hinder the development of renewable and low-carbon energy to meet longer term needs.
Smith said he was disappointed that the government had decided to withdraw its £1bn support for carbon capture and storage demonstration projects.
Greenpeace hit out at the report's findings, saying it failed to make any mention of the climate impact of shale gas.
The group's UK energy campaigner Hannah Martin said: "Whatever planet the UK fracking lobby inhabits, it can't be the same one where world leaders just reached a historic deal that puts fossil fuels on the wrong side of history.
"Like coal and oil companies, the fracking industry's business model was predicated on the assumption that countries wouldn't come together to tackle climate change, and that assumption has just been proved wrong.
"If the UK government is really committed to keeping its end of the Paris deal, it must rethink its support for fracking and back safe, cheap clean energy instead."
A Friends of the Earth spokesman said the government must “end Britain’s scandalous support for fossil fuels, including fracking".
"This nation is the only G7 country to be actively expanding fossil fuel subsidies," he said.
"People power across the world has forced governments to start taking this issue seriously – and people power will win the day."