Caspian Report - Issue 06 - Winter 2014

ROMAN RUKOMEDA
50
Successful shale gas production will
promote shale gas in Europe and
enable a number of EU countries
(especially the UK and Germany)
implement new technologies in their
shale gas fields. It also should be
mentioned that European Commission
published guidelines on shale
gas exploration, which aim to provide
greater clarity for the extractive
industry and rule out the prospect of
cumbersome EU-level restrictions
on hydraulic fracturing (known as
fracking).
Before the Commission, under pressure
from environmentalists and
some member states that have
banned fracking, including France,
had been considering binding EUwide
rules covering environmental
damage and safety. The Commission’s
environment department had
even drafted possible legislation
to that effect. But there have been
warnings from the oil and gas industries,
and pro-shale countries such as
Poland and the UK, that adding red
tape would inhibit exploration and
prevent the EU from taking advantage
of an indigenous, low-carbon
(compared to coal) energy source.
The guidelines are supposed to help
co-ordinate the national policies of
the member states that choose to
extract shale gas, but other member
states will be free to ban exploration,
according to a draft of the proposal.
However, it stipulates that if the Commission
finds that member states are
not following the recommendations,
the EU could make them legally binding
in 2015.
The recommendations include conducting
site inspections to examine if
there is groundwater contamination,
restricting drilling in areas prone to
flooding or earthquakes, and monitoring
methane emissions. Member
states have been told to begin applying
the principles within six months.
From December 2014 they should inform
the Commission each year about
measures they have put in place. The