Bloomberg: WRI Says 38% of World’s Shale Resources Facing Water Stresses

A new analysis shows 38 percent of the world’s shale resources in places such as China, Mexico and South Africa face high to extremely high water stress or arid conditions, according to the World Resources Institute.

Water availability shortcomings could potentially limit shale resource development in every continent except Antarctica, the Washington-based WRI research group said today in a report released at the World Water Week event in Stockholm.

Nations at highest potential risk and biggest technically recoverable shale gas resources include China, with the world’s largest commercially viable shale gas resources, as well as India, WRI said. The U.S. was in the medium-to-high category and Argentina and Canada in the low-to-medium ratings. Pakistan was in the worst or extremely high category.
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