Reuters: Poland plans to revive shale gas hopes with new laws

Poland hopes to revive the waning enthusiasm around its drive to become Europe's shale gas powerhouse by passing a set of laws that would make it easier to explore and extract unconventional gas, the environment minister said.

Poland had counted on an expected abundance of shale gas sitting underneath large swathes of the country to boost growth and reduce its reliance on Russian oil and gas.

But investors, already jolted by the government's conservative revision of shale reserves estimates, have grown concerned about its protracted work on a tax and regulation regime announced in October.

"We are changing the regime so that it will be as friendly to investors as possible, and I think as a result they will intensify their activities in Poland," Environment Minister Marcin Korolec said in an interview.  MORE