Total Drops Shale Site in Dybvad, Denmark

France-headquartered Total said that it will close its site in Dybvad, Denmark, adding that it will not perform hydraulic fracturing in the area because of technical reasons related to the geology of the site.  

‘The results of the drilling at Vendsyssel-1 showed that the shale layer encountered by the well was too thin for economically feasible gas production. The site will now be closed’ reads a note released on Tuesday. 

The exploration drilling, which was completed after about 3 months of drilling, showed natural gas in the Alum shale in the subsoil.

‘However, the shale layer encountered in the well is substantially thinner than required for economically feasible gas extraction.’

In May, Total relinquished its permission to for shale gas in Denmark’s northern Zealand near to the country’s capital Copenhagen after drilling failed to yield attractive results.

Total said its decision on Zealand site was not linked to the critisicm it received at separate shale gas exploration site in northern Jutland, where it had to temporarily halt operations after the use of an unapproved chemical.

Earlier in May, the Danish government imposed a halt to shale gas exploration in north Jutland, less than two days after Total started its campaign on Monday. According to local media, the French company used a chemical which was not authorised in the environmental guidelines defined by the municipality where the operations were taking place.