Kyiv Post: Shell launches hotline to tackle environmental concerns

Global energy giant Royal Dutch Shell launched a free hotline on Aug. 28 to address any concerns Ukrainians might have about the company’s intent to extract shale gas in eastern Ukraine. 

The company won a tender in 2012 and signed a product sharing agreement with the Ukrainian government this year to operate in the Yuzivska field in Donetsk and Kharkiv region, but drilling is yet to start.

The Yuzivska field and the Oleksa field in western Ukraine are believed to have Europe’s fourth largest shale gas reserves with a combined estimate of 1.2 trillion cubic meters, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Ukraine's own estimates are much higher.

In its statement, Shell said that the new hotline "is another step in our policy of good neighborliness and open dialog between Shell and the interested citizens, particularly the residents of Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, which are part of the Yuzivska field.”   MORE