Voice of Russia: 'Shale revolution' will not take in Europe - experts
The European gas industry is turned upside down, - many European media outlets write as they mull the future of the so-called ‘shale revolution’ initiated by the US. Most experts believe that all attempts to disseminate new energy technologies in Europe are doomed to failure. They believe that only gas produced by exporter countries in a traditional way can save Europeans. However, Europe’s desire to distance itself from Russia as its major gas supplier is too great to understand this.
Brussels seems to believe that earning a reputation of champion of democracy is more important than being regarded a sober-minded power by half a billion residents of Europe.
Even though the ‘shale revolution’ has seen tactical success in the US, it cannot be exported to other countries. Only North America has the conditions suitable for it, including geology, liberal regulation, private land ownership, easy loans, technology and high-density infrastructure. Rustam Tankayev of the Union of Oil and Gas Industrialists, comments.
"Europe is not rich in shale gas. Shale gas production in Europe leads to contamination of ground water. This means that water entering city reservoirs will be contaminated as well. Hydraulic fracturing caused by shale gas production triggers earthquakes in adjacent areas, where no earthquakes have ever been recorded before. 2 to 4 magnitude earthquakes occurred in Britain at the outset of mass shale gas production. Shale gas production technology is far from perfect." MORE