France could ban the exploration of shale gas resources after the government backed a draft bill that would outlaw the controversial process.
The draft bill has been tabled by MPs from the ruling centre-right UMP party and follows protests over plans to drill for shale gas and an announcement in March by the government of a moratorium on shale gas exploration until June.
Adoption of the bill would anger French energy groups such as Total and GDF Suez, which have already been granted drilling permits. Shale gas drilling is in its infancy in Europe and Asia, but has expanded rapidly in the USA over the last ten years.
The exploitation of shale gas reserves is controversial because it uses an extraction method known as hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking’, which can lead to groundwater contamination, according to opponents. Researchers from Cornell University in Ithaca, USA, also believe that shale gas has a higher carbon footprint than coal because of the amount of gas that leaks from shale gas wells.
Proponents of the industry say that Europe’s vast, untapped shale gas reserves would help the region to reduce dependence on natural gas imports.
In the USA shale gas now accounts for over ten per cent of natural gas production and is set to continue growing.
A recent report by IHS CERA said that unconventional gas reserves – including shale gas – in Europe could total 173 trillion m3 and could make a significant contribution to energy supplies over the next 10-15 years.
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