MTI: Government of the Republic of Hungary: The utilisation of Shale Gas would transform the EU energy sector

"The large-scale utilisation of shale gas would require the European Union to rethink the issue of renewable energy; this was put forward by several speakers during the informal meeting of EU environment ministers", Sándor Fazekas told MTI. The Minister for Rural Development was attending the informal meeting of European Union environment ministers in Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, current holder of the EU presidency.

According to the Minister, the most interesting issue on the agenda from Hungary's perspective related to the extraction of shale gas; these hydrocarbons could contribute to reducing the EU's, and therefore Hungary's, dependence on imports. Mr. Fazekas reminded the press of the "extraordinary value" of the natural gas treasure found in Makó, which is also classed as an unconventional hydrocarbon, because it lies at great depth, 5-7 km deep, and can only be extracted using unconventional methods.

According to Hungary's standpoint, prospecting for unconventional hydrocarbons, and especially shale gas, requires extreme care, and safe and environmentally friendly solutions must be found for their extraction. The extraction of gas found at great depths uses rock-fracturing technology (fracking), which involves injecting water and various additives into the rock at high pressure.  MORE