Don't Rush to Reject Fracking, Commissioner Tells Germany

Germany could lose its competitive edge in energy generation if it is too quick to reject hydraulic fracturing as an extractive method, European Union Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger told a German newspaper.

"I advise Germany not to give its final 'no' to fracking. Otherwise it will lose important competencies," Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung quoted Oettinger as saying in an interview published Tuesday.

Oettinger, himself a German, said the German economy was currently so strong that the country risked putting off necessary projects, including infrastructure expansion.

"That will come back to bite Germany in the next decade. We have to be willing to accept certain impositions and take risks if we want to remain competitive," he said.

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves pumping large quantities of water and chemicals at high pressure through drill holes, which together with vertical drilling helps prop open shale rocks to release trapped gas.

Companies including ExxonMobil and BASF's oil and gas arm Wintershall are pushing to explore possibilities for fracking in Germany. Industrial consumers say they could benefit as they need a secure supply at affordable prices.

Environment Minister Peter Altmaier has said he wants to limit fracking and ban it in areas where drinking water is protected.