Hurriyet Daily News: Shale gas; risks and opportunities for Turkey

Turkey is ready to produce “shale gas,” according to Environment and Urban Planning Minister Erdoğan Bayraktar. 

Bayraktar, who attended the European Union Environment Ministers meeting in Vilnius recently, mentioned Turkey’s shale gas potential and said shale gas would be produced according to defined criteria without polluting the environment. 

Bayraktar added that Environmental Impact Assessment reports, known as EIA, should also be taken into consideration during the shale gas production. 

It is pleasing that Bayraktar has mentioned EIA. 

The ministry, which is in a love-hate relationship with the EIA reports, had announced with a bylaw, which was published in the Official Gazette this past April, that major projects would be exempt from EIA.

As I have mentioned, even though the EIA part has relieved me, the question marks in my head about “shale gas” production are not few.  MORE