Express Tribune: Shale gas and the risks we are taking

Present demand for natural gas in Pakistan stood at 8 billion cubic feet (bcf) per day during winters whereas production from conventional sources totalled 4.2 bcf. It is no secret that gas supply has been unable to meet demand for many years now. New fields brought online over the last three years have been barely able to maintain the current levels of production.

The reason for this flattening output is the reduced production from main natural gas fields.

This has forced policy-makers to look for alternative sources of domestic natural gas, ie, tight gas, shale gas and coal gasification (converting coal to gas). In the case of shale gas, the question is whether it can help resolve the energy crisis and what it means for the environment.

Geological studies show that gas could be found in deeper, denser “unconventional” shale formations (called plays). Natural gas is stored in shale in three forms – free gas in rock pores, free gas in natural fractures and absorbed gas on organic matter and mineral surfaces. MORE