OMV Seeks Community Support for Shale Gas Development

Representatives for Austrian energy giant OMV AG received a far from a friendly reception at an information session on potential shale gas development held on Monday

Citizens of Poysdorf located in the Weinviertel (wine quarter) of Lower Austria were symbolically dressed in black Monday morning outside the Hotel Veltlin on behalf of a citizens initiative. 

“Wine quarter instead of Gas quarter” was their position.

OMV believed that unconventional gas resources will meet domestic needs for thirty years,  however extraction will require the controversial method of hydraulic fracturing.

The company is seeking community support. Christpher Veit, Managing Director of OMG Austria, acknowledges that the company will not be successful with the project if they fail to promote shale gas as ecologically viable.

OMV is proposing the use of fracking fluids containing use water, sand and cornstarch and without chemicals, that will be developed in conjunction with the University of Leoben.  As such there will be no fear of groundwater contamination.

The environmental footprint would also be limited. Hermann Spörk, OMV project manager said that one well site would be built every twenty-five square kilometers, over the two hundred square kilometers – target area. Veit said that  OMV would also undrtake an independent environmental assessment, even though it is not mandated.

The first phase of testing is to begin late summer and will include two test holes to show technical and economic feasibility.