EU Will Examine Fracking Concerns, Says Oettinger

The European Union intends to examine concerns about hydraulic fracturing to mine shale gas, Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger has said.

The Commissioner made the comments in an interview with German newspaper Die Welt, and on the eve of a major hydrocarbon energy conference in Brussels.

Oettinger repeated his earlier warning that Germany should not be too quick to reject fracking as an option, according to Die Welt, saying the country "should see the potential that shale gas has and create the necessary legal framework for demonstration projects and practical tests." He had warned his native country that Germany could lose her competitive edge if she failed to exploit the advantages of shale gas, as other countries are doing.

"If we allow test drilling we will be much smarter in a few years and know more about the costs, too. That would be very advisable for an engineering country like Germany," the Commissioner told Die Welt.

Bavarian prime minister Horst Seehofer and Hesse state leader Volker Bouffier supported Oettinger's stance, but said a moratorium on fracking should be in place until after the federal election, in September.