Fitch Ratings: Shale Gas in Poland Could Still Be a Game Changer

Shale gas in Poland could still be a game changer for the country’s energy sector despite the disappointing shale gas reserve estimate published today by the Polish Geological Institute (PGI), says Fitch Ratings. PGI assessed most likely recoverable shale gas reserves to be between 0.35 and 0.77 trillion cubic meters (tcm), which is about one tenth the 5.3 tcm estimated by the US Energy Information Administration in April 2011. PGI estimates maximum recoverable shale gas reserves at 1.92 tcm.

It is still too early to make any meaningful assumptions about the future of shale gas in Poland, believed to have one of the highest development potentials in Europe. Less than 20 exploration wells have been drilled by domestic and foreign companies, in many cases with disappointing results.  MORE