Reuters: German state aims to revive "tight" gas fracking

Germany's state of Lower Saxony plans to launch a legal move in parliament next month that will seek to end a ban on new exploration for deep-lying gas using the "fracking" technology deployed in the country for over 30 years.

The state, which holds 95 percent of German gas reserves, has lost mining royalties from a two-year long suspension of new permits for hydraulic fracking, which it had quietly been using for decades to get at "tight" gas situated deep underground.

Tight sandstone reservoirs in Germany are typically 3,000 to 5,000 metres deep, while shale formations are between 1,000 and 2,500 metres deep. Opponents say the shallower shale gas deposits open up the potential for contamination of drinking water, which goes down to 1,000 metres.
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