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Poland: plenty of shale gas, but problems, too
Local shale-gas reserves could heat Poland for 200 years, but a lack of infrastructure and other obstacles, not least politics, remain. Helen Robertson reports from Warsaw
POLAND's wealth of natural gas trapped in shale could feed the country's energy demand for centuries, support an export industry and end its reliance on Russian imports, say industry executives. The country's reserves could exceed 10 trillion cubic metres (cm), far greater than even the most optimistic estimates have suggested. But as Western companies bring their expertise to Poland, there are grounds for caution. "If shale-gas exploration is successful it will change Poland and it will change Europe," says Wolfgang Rauball, chief executive of Eurogas, which owns a quarter of the Bieszczady concession in Poland. "There would be a dramatic change of wealth and it would change the geopolitical situation." In Poland, a country long dependent on the whims of bigger neighbours – and especially on Russian energy supplies – the excitement is palpable. And suddenly, the big players of ...Click here to continue reading Poland: plenty of shale gas, but problems, too
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