Tag: shale gas

As the shale gas revolution influences how the United States views its long-term strategic interests in the Middle East, Europeans should also be asking themselves what these changes mean for their geostrategic relations. They should further be asking how they could use shale gas to reduce their dependence on Russian energy, writes Judy Dempsey.

Poland’s shale gas business is facing a serious challenge after the EU’s highest court ruled that Warsaw violated European law by allowing licences to be issued for the exploration and extraction of hydrocarbons, without fully open tenders.

With oil majors waving billions of dollars around, President Viktor Yanukovych’s party is eager to tap Ukraine’s shale gas deposits. Political foes are no less eager to make hay of the controversial technology, writes Ivan Lozowy.

A senior European Commission official has poured cold water on claims that a shale gas boom in Europe would result in de-facto low gas prices. 

Progress on energy efficiency was blocked at an EU summit on Wednesday (22 May) by a cocktail of myopic business interests and timid leadership, according to Hans Nilsson, a board member of the European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ECEEE).

The current shale gas boom which has bathed the US economy in cheap energy will soon go bust, a former gas industry geologist has told EurActiv.

Europe’s plan to decarbonise its economy by 2050 could be turned on its head at a summit today (22 May) if EU heads of state and government sign off on measures prioritising industrial competitiveness over climate change in draft conclusions seen by EurActiv.

Ever wondered how the shale gas debate might seem with the benefit of hindsight? So has Stefan Schleicher of the Austrian Institute of Economic Research in Vienna. He predicts that the real game-changer for gas will come from its integration into a low-carbon, Europe-wide energy system.

EXCLUSIVE / European bans on hydraulic fracturing - or fracking - for shale gas could face lawsuits under a far-reaching investment clause in a draft Canada-EU Trade Agreement treaty, seen by EurActiv.

Lawmakers in Spain's northern Cantabria region unanimously voted on Monday (8 April) to ban hydraulic fracturing on environmental concerns, shooting down the central government's hopes for a project to boost jobs in a region believed to be rich in shale gas.

A major UK energy firm has struck a deal hailed by Prime Minister David Cameron as a step towards energy security but as the European Commission launches discussions on 2030 climate and energy policies opinions are divided as to which direction the EU should take the unconventional fossil fuel.

Germany, a country struggling hard to find energy resources to replace nuclear power, has taken a step towards allowing the tapping of shale gas via hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a practice contested by the opposition and public opinion. 

Opposition from Germany's powerful environmental lobby is dimming prospects for shale gas and sparking fears that major industries in Europe's largest economy will lose out to American rivals tapping cheaper energy.

In a widely expected U-turn, Romanian authorities yesterday (31 January) gave the American energy giant Chevron the certificates it needed to start exploring for shale gas in the eastern part of the country.

SPECIAL REPORT / A US industrial boost following its ability to tap abundant shale gas reserves is provoking fears that imperilled energy-intensive European businesses will find it harder than ever to compete.

The coming of shale gas will magnify the importance of geography. Because it can be transported across oceans in liquid form, states with coastlines will have the advantage, writes Robert D. Kaplan.

Romanians are voting on Sunday (9 December) to elect a new Parliament with polls give the USL alliance of incumbent Prime Minister Victor Ponta a comfortable lead. But his political rival, President Traian Băsescu, could refuse to appoint him to lead the next cabinet.

Lawmakers on the European Parliament's environment committee backed strong new regulation on shale gas and oil mining yesterday (19  September), just after their colleagues in the energy committee insisted on each country's right to decide for itself.

Tough new regulations could be slapped on the shale gas industry if the EU acts upon legislative and environmental failings identified in its most comprehensive analysis yet of the sector, due to be released today [7 September].

The EU is better equipped that the United States to ensure that shale gas would be exploited in a safe way, MEP Bogusław Sonik, rapporteur on the environmental impacts of shale gas and shale oil extraction activities, told EurActiv Poland in an exclusive interview.

Romania’s Senate has overwhelming rejected a motion to ban shale gas exploration and exploitation by hydraulic fracturing, marking an about-face for Prime Minister Victor Ponta’s Social Democrat party (PSD) that introduced the draft law in March.

An energy strategy without fossil fuels would be preferable to the regulated gas pathway outlined in the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s new report, the paper’s own author told EurActiv in an exclusive interview yesterday (30 May).

Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said his country was “taken hostage” over the case of his imprisoned predecessor, Yulia Tymoshenko, which he said was overblown because of a “foreign plot” to prevent the country from getting closer to the EU.

Britain may have enough offshore shale gas to catapult it into the top ranks of global producers, energy experts now believe, and while production costs are still very high, new US technology should eventually make reserves commercially viable.