Gulf News: Europe finds itself in a bind over shale

After years of reluctance, European majors have finally succumbed to practicality in their need to develop energy resources, particularly oil and gas. Germany has announced — for the first time — its intention to allow the production of shale gas despite strong protests from environmental activists.

This dramatic turnaround came soon after the Ukrainian crisis, which created concerns about Russia’s continuing gas supplies, on which many European countries — particularly Germany — depend. Many of these countries were pinning too much hope on the possibility of natural gas in the Crimea and of possible shale gas in Ukraine before Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

By doing so, Western Europe is trying to repeat the US experience, as Washington has not only been able to meet its gas needs by producing shale gas, but also turned into a net gas exporter. This it has done by ignoring the possible environmental impact caused by the processes involved in shale gas production.
MORE