Reuters: Polish state firms extend deadline for shale gas deal

Five state-controlled Polish companies on Monday pushed back a deadline to work out the details of how to cooperate in developing the country's shale gas resources to Feb. 4 of next year.

Central Europe's biggest nation expects shale gas to play an important role in helping its coal-reliant economy meet future European Union climate policy and carbon emission targets.

Shale gas also could help the former Soviet-block country become less dependent on Russia, which supplies the majority of Poland's annual gas consumption of nearly 15 billion cubic metres.

Gas monopoly PGNiG, copper miner KGHM and Poland's three largest utilities PGE, Tauron and Enea all said in separate statements they needed more time for talks on a cooperation agreement signed in July.  MORE