Energy (in)security in Poland the case of shale gas

Abstract

The large scale extraction of natural gas from shale rock layers in North America using hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking", has prompted geologists, economists and politicians in various parts of the world to ask whether there are new reserves of this precious resource to be found under their soils. It has also raised a host of questions about the potential environmental impacts of extracting it. Drawing on research on both sides of the Atlantic, this paper assesses the most pressing issues for research and policy makers related to shale gas extraction. The paper first provides a survey of environmental and economic issues related to shale gas. It then turns to a case study of Poland, whose policy makers have been among the most fervent proponents of shale gas development in the European Union. We examine the status of shale gas extraction in that country and what the barriers are to overcome before commercial extraction can in fact take place, if at all. shale gas | energy security | Poland | fracking | natural gas | energy policy

A blessing in disguise: The implications of high global oil prices for the North American market

“…These decisions have reduced the attractiveness of the Argentine oil and gas sector to foreign investors and have prevented it from accessing international capital markets. In Poland, the combination of challenging geology, regulatory uncertainty and a lack of available infrastructure have dimmed its prospects for developing a large-scale oil and gas industry (Johnson and Boersma 2013). 20 Even in China, where the central government has made the development of its vast shale wealth a priority, plans for a rapid increase in extraction have been complicated by difficult geology, an unfavourable market structure dominated by national oil companies, and a lack of infrastructure and supply chain services (Wood Mackenzie 2012;Wang et al 2012).…”

A conceptual model of the socioeconomic impacts of unconventional fossil fuel extraction

“…The macro-economic effects of unconventional fossil fuels have also been noteworthy for national energy markets in places such as the USA and Australia, with broader implications for the global energy system resulting from changes to supply generated in different regions of the world (Johnson and Boersma, 2013;Simshauser and Nelson, 2015). While acknowledging these impacts, our focus in this paper is on sub-national effects.…”

Applying Sustainable Development Principles and Sustainable Operating Practices in Shale Oil and Gas Production

“…This reality is clearly of interest in the United States [5], Europe [19], and China [20] among other countries and regions. The geopolitical ramifications of shale alluded to in the previous quote are playing out in Poland, which is largely dependent on gas and oil imports from Russia [21]. Public reporting on shale gas production and subsequent public debate have been framed mostly in geopolitical terms, with relatively less attention paid to technical issues.…”