Friday, March 21, 2014

Europe focuses on shale gas amid Ukraine crisis. -Exploration of S.G. in the EU as a tool to further diversify its energy supply

England, Poland, Romania and Ukraine were the first countries to start distributing licenses for the exploration and exploitation of shale gas.
 
By E. Gurkan Abay 
ANKARA 
EU countries have started distributing shale gas licenses to private companies, aiming to reduce the dependence on Russian natural gas, amid the crisis in Ukraine that sparked EU’s efforts to increase its energy security.
Europe will try to formulate ways to reduce its "concerning" level of dependency on Russian natural gas, at the EU March 20-21 summit in Brussels, according to draft summit documents. Local energy sources such as shale gas should be further exploited, the papers also state. England, Poland, Romania and Ukraine were the first countries to start distributing licenses for the exploration and exploitation of shale gas.

  • European Commission spokeswoman Sabine Berger told Anadolu Agency that the Commission acknowledges the potential importance of the exploration of shale gas in the EU as a tool to further diversify its energy supply.
  • “But it’s a purely national decision by the EU member state to opt for shale gas or not,” she said, adding that the commission does not have any plans to assist the private sector financially for shale gas exploration and exploitation.
The Commission will continue facilitating the exchange of environmental information of shale gas projects, Berger explained, and from December 2014 onwards, member states will also inform the Commission each year about measures that they have put in place.
Recently, the European Commission has loosened regulations on shale gas and left the decision on environmental issues to member countries.
- Poland’s shale gas reserves are the largest in Europe
According to U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Poland’s shale gas reserves are the largest in Europe, with a potential 4.1 trillion cubic meters. Keen to make use of this potential, Poland enacted a law in March 11, which exempts taxes on shale gas exploitation until 2020.
France, second only to Poland, has technically recoverable reserves of 3.8 trillion cubic meters. However, the hydraulic fracturing technique which is used in shale gas exploitation, is currently banned in France.
In 2012, France’s President Francois Hollande promised to reduce the share of nuclear power in electricity generation from 75 to 50 percent. Shale gas is seen as a potential candidate to fill the energy supply gap.
- Hydraulic fracturing to extract shale gas  
Hydraulic fracturing, or commonly known as “fracking,” rocks under 2 to 5 kilometers under the soil are fractured by using high pressured chemical waters sprayed out of horizontally installed pipes. After the fracturing ends, the fractured rocks release gas that migrates to wells.
The fracking method is the main reason behind Europe’s hesitation on the extraction of shale gas. Experts fear that the fracking technique under the soil could pollute the underground water systems and the soil. Additionally, it is also feared that the fracturing process might trigger earthquakes.
Since EU environmental legislation developed at a time when high volume hydraulic fracturing was not used in Europe, certain environmental aspects associated with the exploration and production of fossil fuels involving this practice are not comprehensively addressed in current EU legislation.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
 aa.com.tr
21/3/14
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5 comments:

  1. Fracking 'good for the UK', says David Cameron...

    Prime minister claims that people's concerns about shale gas will abate once a few wells are up and running.

    Fracking will be "good for our country", David Cameron said as he blamed a "lack of understanding" about the process for some of the opposition to shale gas.

    The prime minister said that once wells are up and running later this year, there would be more public enthusiasm, and exploiting shale gas reserves could help Europe wean itself off reliance on exports from Russia.

    The Ukraine crisis has increased the urgency of European efforts to find alternative sources of energy to reduce the leverage Russia's oil and gas supplies give it across the continent.

    Speaking after the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague, Cameron said it was "our duty" to be more energy-independent, saying it should be a "tier one" political issue. He acknowledged people had "uncertainties and worries and concerns" about hydraulic fracturing – known as fracking – which involves using high-pressure jets of water to release gas.

    But he insisted they would be addressed once people could see functioning shale gas wells in the UK.

    Asked whether political opposition at a local level had hampered efforts to exploit the resource, he said: "I don't think it's so much nimby MPs. I think it takes time because of people's uncertainties and worries and concerns. We just have to address those. I think one of the best ways of addressing that is to get some shale gas wells up and running so people can go and see them and you can hear more directly from local people about what it has meant for their communities...............http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/mar/26/fracking-good-for-uk-cameron
    26/3/14

    ReplyDelete
  2. EU to press Obama at summit for aid in cutting Russian gas imports...

    (Reuters) - The European Union was set to press U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday to help reduce Europe's reliance on Russian energy by exporting U.S. natural gas, as relations with Moscow chill over its intervention in Ukraine.

    Obama began his visit to Belgium by visiting the Flanders Field American war cemetery, visiting the graves of some of the 368 U.S. service members, most killed during World War One.

    His visit and the symbolism of transatlantic unity had added resonance at a time when tensions in Europe are running high because of Russia's military occupation and annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region.............http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/26/us-usa-eu-summit-idUSBREA2P0W220140326?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
    26/3/14

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yatsenyuk: Ukraine can receive 25 billion cubic meters of gas from European Union...

    Ukraine can receive up 25 billion cubic meters of its natural gas from the European Union, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Ukraine’s parliament-appointed prime minister, told a news conference on Wednesday.

    Diversification of gas supplies was one of the key items on the agenda of an expanded meeting with a European Commission’s delegation.

    “We can import 25 billion cubic meters of gas from the European Union according to our estimates,” Yatsenyuk said, adding the price for European gas would be a hundred dollars cheaper than for gas imported from Russian partners.
    http://en.itar-tass.com/world/725418
    26/3/14

    ReplyDelete
  4. Obama promet d'approvisionner l'Europe en gaz américain...

    Les autorités américaines sont disposées à autoriser les exportations du gaz naturel en quantités suffisant à satisfaire les besoins quotidiens de l'Europe, a déclaré mercredi le président des Etats-Unis Barack Obama à l'issue du sommet USA-UE.

    Pour ce faire les Etats-Unis et l'Europe devraient dépenser des dizaines de milliards de dollars. Pour les Etats-Unis il faudrait construire une infrastructure et une flotte pour acheminer le gaz liquéfié en Europe, tandis que cette dernière devrait créer une infrastructure pour acceuiller les navires et le gaz liquéfié.

    Si les Etats-Unis et l'Europe acceptent ces dépenses, le prix du gaz américain sera au moins comparable, voire supérieur, à celui du gaz russe.
    Lire la suite: http://french.ruvr.ru/news/2014_03_26/Obama-promet-dapprovisionner-lEurope-en-gaz-americain-0215/
    26/3/14

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ucraina, Obama: “La Russia è isolata”....Via all’export di gas dagli Usa alla Ue....

    «Posizione forte e coordinata» sulla crisi ucraina. È quella espressa da Van Rompuy al vertice di Bruxelles. Il presidente Usa: «gli Stati non riducano
    la spesa per la difesa. La Nato continui a essere forza credibile e deterrente».....http://www.lastampa.it/2014/03/26/esteri/ucraina-obama-la-russia-isolata-via-allexport-di-gas-dagli-usa-alla-ue-xHF26GFRpupLBaLLzfJcYN/pagina.html
    26/3/14

    ReplyDelete

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