Platts: France could lift shale gas fracking ban in coming years: Besson

France could reconsider its ban on the use of hydraulic fracturing in the exploration of shale gas if the technique can be proven to be safe, French economy minister Eric Besson said Thursday.

Speaking at the 13th International Oil Summit in Paris, Besson said the subject was not closed in France.

He said that so far, shale gas explorers had been unable to prove that hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, was not harmful to the environment.

"That doesn't mean the subject is closed -- it could be reopened tomorrow," Besson said, adding that by tomorrow he meant over the next few years.

But this would only happen if operators "can prove the safety of the technique."  MORE