Platts: ANALYSIS: Bleak mood for Polish shale gas after Marathon, Talisman exits

The announcements this week by North American energy companies Marathon Oil and Talisman Energy that they are pulling out of shale gas exploration in Poland seems to have finally killed the government's initial hope that the former Soviet bloc country could wrestle free from its dependence on Russian gas imports and become a gas exporter itself.

The companies said they were withdrawing after unimpressive well test results plus, in the case of Canada's Talisman, a decision to refocus its exploration activities.

It follows ExxonMobil's decision to quit last June and is a further blow to Poland's shale gas ambitions, which started with such high expectations as companies rushed to buy up acreage attracted by a captive market and a gas price considerably higher than in the US.  MORE