Reuters: Unleash German shale to halt gas output decline, industry pleads

Germany's gas industry says it needs shale to halt a sharp decline in domestic output, but behind its pleas lies private acknowledgement that environmental and political opposition is just too strong.

Frustration is compounded by Germany's lead in fracking technology, which it has been quietly using for over 50 years.

At stake is the competitiveness of German industry - faced with rising energy costs, the opposite of shale-driven competition in the United States, shale proponents say.

"Currently, there is a decline in domestic production...a major share of planned investments in our industry is stymied politically," said Hartmut Pick, spokesman for the WEG oil and gas industry group that produces domestic gas worth 4 to 5 billion euros ($5.4-6.8) a year.

"If this trend is not countered, it will have negative consequences for jobs, mining royalties and the basis of service industries," he said.  MORE