Is Poland joining the shale game?
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
An estimated 350 billion to 780 billion cubic meters of shale gas lies beneath the country of Poland, but drillers have not commercially produced any gas there yet.
Deutsche Welle reports that a state-run oil and gas agency and Poland’s biggest refiner are drilling soon, and the country’s shale fate will lie in their successes or failures.
Poland imports 70 percent of its natural gas from Russia and also has an LNG terminal where it imports LNG from Qatar. According to the source, geological issues and environmental concerns factor into the country’s decision to tap into the shale, as well as unsatisfactory results from exploratory drilling.
Read more: Deutsche Welle > Polish shale hits the rocks
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.