How Sweet is European
Shale
? A Story about the Uncertain Potential, Problematic Recovery and Public Concerns of
Shale
Gas
Development in Europe
Abstract
Currently, shale
gas
exploration and exploitation in Europe is in an ambiguous arena. Poland once actively pursued
shale
gas
, motivated by the desire to remain independent of Russian
gas
.
Shale
is explored and drilled in England where proponents are looking for a secure energy supply by developing
shale
as a reliable and affordable domestic source of energy. For most other European countries, perceptions towards oil &
gas
extraction from shales are ambiguous. Concerns about environmental footprint have motivated most European countries in postponing or banning
shale
gas
exploitation. Production of
gas
and oil from shales has proven to be a game changer for the energy market in North America, and most wells have been drilled in the U.S. However, most potential oil &
gas
resources are located elsewhere. Total potential resource located in the many European
shale
basins may equal the resources in the U.S. However, where U.S.
shale
operations have become more and more efficient, attempts to commercially recover
gas
from Polish shales have not (yet) been successful. Public concerns are mainly related to impacts on local environments and global climate footprint. While focus is on the subsurface effects of hydraulic fracturing and CO2 emissions, recent studies suggest a bigger role for well construction and methane emissions in determining impacts and risks. This presentation covers both geological and environmental aspects of potential
shale
gas
exploitation in Europe, focussing on key lessons learned from North America, current status in Europe and main showstoppers hampering development.
AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90333©2018 AAPG Middle East Region, Shale
Gas
Evolution Symposium, Manama, Bahrain, December 11-13, 2018