President Hollande: No Shale Gas on My Watch
France's President has stepped into the re-emerging debate about the nations prospective shale oil and shale gas resources, ruling out exploration during his presidency.
Speaking live on France 2 TV in an interview following Bastille Day celebrations, Francois Holland commented: "As long as I am president, there will be no exploration for shale gas in France."
"The debate on shale gas has gone on for too long," Hollande said.
Industrial Renewal Minister Arnaud Montebourg had set off the most recent debate on unconventional oil and gas extraction when speaking to a committee planning reforms to the Code Minier, which sets the laws on development of underground resources.
Montebourg commented that he would like to see a state-owned company involved in “ecological” exploitation of shale gas or gaz de schiste.
“We could come up with the technology in a very short time to be able to exploit the gas ecologically,” said Montebourg.
The French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayraul rejected Montebourg's call to review the status of a moratorium imposed on the shale gas and shale oil extraction process of hydraulic fracturing, ruling out any activities related to the exploration and production of shale gas in France.
The PM comments echoed those of Agriculture Minister Stéphane Le Foll and newly appointed Miister of Ecology Sustainable Development, and Energy, Philippe Martin, who said there was no such thing as “ecological” exploitation of shale gas.
Ayrault re-iterated that said that the government’s main energy policy objectives were to cut energy consumption, and particular fossil fuel consumption, and to change the balance of energy sources, by reducing nuclear power from 75% to 50% by encouraging a switch to renewable energy sources.
Montebourg, and other leading Socialists including Christian Bataille, the co-author of a report in favour of starting exploitation, have commented that believe that development of indigenous shale gas resources would allow France to cut its trade deficit heavily burdened with the cost of oil imports and provide stimulus for industrial development.
The debate was re-opened after last weeks’ e dismissal of former Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development, and Energy Delphine Batho, one of the fiercest shale gas opponents in France.
Her dismissal by President Francois Hollande, occurred ten hours after her critiques on the 2014 budget.
Batho blamed pressure groups that would have wanted her scalp in the light of her opposition to shale gas and the intention to proceed with a decrease in France’s dependence on nuclear energy.
The Constitutional Council, France’s top legal institutionhas agreed to hear a challenge to the 2011 ban on hydraulic fracturing.
Schuepbach Energy, which held two exploration permits that were canceled in 2011, challenged the law in the local court of Cergy-Pontoise near Paris,
The local court which forwarded the case to France's highest administrative court, which then passed it on the Constitutional Council, which is expected to decide whether the law is constitutional, within three months.
Comprised of judges and former French presidents, the Constitutional Council has the power to annul laws it deems to be unconstitutional.