Poland Committed to Development of Shale Gas Technologies
Last week, the Polish government announced that it would earmark hundreds of millions of zlotys to support development of indigenous technologies for the extraction of hydrocarbons from unconventional sources.
According to government officials, the main objectives of the program are: to reduce the costs of drilling, to provide Polish companies with homegrown technologies and - in the long term - to establish Poland as shale technologies world player.
The program, worth around 1 billion zlotys (235 million euro), is to be financed by state agencies and state-controlled companies.
Two state agencies: the National Center for Research and Development – NCBiR (Narodowe Centrum Badan i Rozwoju) and the Agency for Industrial Development – ARP (Agencja Rozwoju Przemyslu) are to jointly spend 500 million zlotys.
The remaining 500 million is to be covered by state-controlled companies.
Natural Gas Europe has learned that companies taking part in the program may include gas company PGNiG, oil firms PKN Orlen and Lotos and several utilities.
Technological universities of Krakow, Warsaw and Gdansk as well as the Polish Geological Institute are to conduct scientific research.
According to the director of the NCBiR, Krzysztof Kurzydlowski, gathering knowledge and adopting technologies to Polish shale formations will be the key element of the program.
“In addition, we hope for strengthening of cooperation between science and industry and stronger engagement of the companies into research and development.” Professor Kurzydlowski said.
The deputy head of the ARP agency, Jerzy Gora, anticipates that the program will provide strong support for the development of shale gas industry.
“Poland may become the next major producer of this fuel, after the United States, and gain substantial independence from gas imports. We can develop unique, homegrown technologies of gas extraction from shale. We’re ready to take part in this grand development project," Gora said in a statement.
Over two months ago, the Treasury Minister announced that the government had decided to push for a creation of homegrown methods of shale gas and oil production. Mikolaj Budzanowski spoke of “creating a platform of synergy between science and industry.”
Minister of Science and Education Barbara Kudrcyka added, that owing to the program, Poland can become a global shale gas expert and new methods will be developed with a special attention to natural environment.
The leading scientific role is to be played by the AGH (Akademia Gorniczo Hutnicza) University of Science and Technology in Krakow.
According to Professor Stanislaw Nagy of the Drilling, Oil and Gas Faculty at the AGH, the program should be based on three foundations: development of technologies, transfer of technologies and training.
Speaking to Natural Gas Europe, Nagy underlined that priority should be given to defining and increasing scientific capabilities in the country.
In Nagy's opinion, the only way to enhance capabilities is by luring American scientists to work in Poland. The professor considers this to be the key point in a program of creating indigenous technology and effectively foster market-oriented cooperation between science and industry.
“The whole mentality of our science should be changed,” Nagy commented to Natural Gas Europe.