Europe’s emerging shale oil and gas industry should be backed by “robust regulatory regimes” at a national level, a committee of MEPs has said.
The Industry and Energy Committee MEPs has approved a resolution that calls for all shale gas exploration activities to be governed by robust rules to safeguard the environment.
It has also called on the European Commission to evaluate the economic and environmental impact of unconventional gas – including shale gas – in the EU.
The Commission recently concluded that EU rules adequately cover licensing and early exploration and production of shale gas but that further expansion of the industry might require changes to EU legislation.
Several EU countries are keen to exploit shale gas resources in order to improve energy security. A recent European Commission study concluded that shale gas production in Europe could help the region to maintain its dependency on energy imports at around 50 per cent of its total energy needs.
European Commission studies also indicate that shale gas extraction leads to greater greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional gas extraction, and that there are risks of ground water contamination, air and noise emissions and impacts on biodiversity.
The committee of MEPs says that increased uptake of renewables and improved energy efficiency would also improve energy security.
It has urged EU countries to learn from US experience with shale gas exploration and to encourage the use of best available technologies.
Linkedin
