France: Shale Gas is Indispensable
Shale gas is indispensable
The debate should remain open
Jacques Sallibartant, President of the Drillers Union, L’Amicale des foreurs et des métiers du pétrole and Gérard Médaisko, Geology Consultant
The 26, 27 and 28 of August, opponents of shale gas and oil (also called tight oil) will gather in Lézan (Cévennes). But why? To congratulate themselves on having deprived France of a new energy source or to propose solutions for the country’s energy problems?
In light of current energy issues, there cannot be a single, hasty and simple answer. An energy mix, uniting and optimizing different energy sources – from wind to nuclear and gas and oil – is the only realistic and reasonable option. It is also absurd to affirm that the national production of fossil fuels would halt the development of renewable energy.
In fact, the eventual production of shale gas and oil on the French territory, would not aim to substitute the development of renewable energy sources but rather to replace extremely costly energy imports (for example, metropolitan France currently imports 99% of its oil consumption). It would be, at the very least, paradoxical to, in a few years’ time, import shale oil from Poland while the resource lies beneath our feet.
While the Jacob law to ban hydraulic fracturing was voted on in Parliament early this summer and promulgated on July 14, only the implementation of experimentation provided by by the law would provide a clear answer to a presently confusing situation.
The implementation of hydraulic fracturing tests would fully meet the requirements of the principle of precaution; namely a scientific assessment of potential risks. In the case of shale gas [production] the risks have been well known and manageable for years.
The Mining Code should also evolve not only to respond to new technological challenges posed by tight oil and gas, but also to provide maximum security and respond to the understandable concerns of the public.
Another route
Several lines of thought should be developed: better regulation on drilling and stricter control on behalf of authorities in order to guarantee the compatibility of research and production operations and respect of the environment and quality of life; better distribution of production revenues for departments, municipalities and communities; and finally the possibility for landowners to benefit from a percentage of revenues earned on production from their soil.
In the United States, a new report mandated by the Obama Administration highlights that, in order to guarantee clean production of shale gas, it is necessary to promote and encourage best practices among oil companies, to exercise tighter drilling controls and publish fracturing fluid ingredients (which are already disclosed by most operators). This report is a reminder French ideologists that there is a route other than total refusal of scientific and technical progress (shale gas, GMOs, nanotechnology): the route of regulation.
Translation of Op-Ed from Le Monde, August 27, 2011