The Dilemmas of Unconventional Natural Resources
Romania lies on top of a substantial reserve of unconventional natural gas, the second largest after Polands, and the large energy multinationals have their eyes on it. However, the possible negative effects of shale gas exploitation on the environment
Eugen Cojocariu, 03.04.2012, 16:59
The controversial issue of shale gas extraction in Romania has hit the headlines again after the government last week granted to US based Chevron, the industry leader in this type of operation, the right to prospect and extract gas in 3 areas in Constanta County in the South-East. Chevron, which had already gained a concession for an area in the Eastern area of Barlad, said they wanted to start extracting in the second half of the year.
Upon pressure from civil society, ecologists and politicians in opposition, the company said it would halt extraction works this year, and would only carry out prospecting works by conventional technologies in Barlad. They also said they would limit their activities in Constanta County to geophysical studies. Shale gas extraction has drawn fire as it is based on hydraulic fracturing, which allegedly risks polluting underground water and may produce earthquakes.
The Social-Liberal opposition in Romania has called for an impact study with regard to unconventional gas extraction, public debates on the impact extraction would have on the environment and on people, and for special legislation in the field to be passed. The head of the National Mineral Resource Agency, Alexandru Patruti, said that Romania was still in the prospecting stage, which may last up to 10 years. He explained that the main effect on the environment was a possible contamination of underground waters, but that the impact could be minimized and controlled by observing best practices.
Contamination, he said, could only occur if the drilling technologies were incorrectly applied and pipes were incorrectly sealed, allowing the extraction liquid to seep into underground water. Patruti also added that hydraulic fracturing was a standard procedure, which has been used in the oil industry for decades, including in Romania. The difference is that for unconventional gas the drilling is horizontal. Right now there are public debates on unconventional gas drilling around Europe.
In France and Bulgaria, the procedure has been suspended. At the same time, in 2011 EU leaders ruled that unconventional gas could be an alternative for Europe’s energy security, and that community legislation in that area had to be reviewed. In January 2012, the European Commission set up a think tank, including Romanian representatives, to analyze the environmental impact of extracting this type of gas.
