Controversial technology: “Fracking Europe would be good” – Business Week

The controversial fracking method has the U.S. economy brought a surprising boom. Should Europe take this chance also?

Given the shale gas revolution in the U.S., BP’s chief economist Christof Rühl advocated to test in Europe, the possibility of gas and oil production with the controversial fracking method . In this case, however, the chemicals used would have to be made transparent and approved by regulatory authorities worldwide, Ruehl said on Monday in Dusseldorf at the presentation of the energy market report of the British mining giant BP.

“That would Europe be present not bad. You should open the access, but with a reasonable regulation “demanded the expert. In the fracking technology rock is broken into 1,000 to 5,000 meters deep using a mixture of water, sand and chemicals at high pressure in order to be supported in trapped oil and gas. What chemicals they use in detail, share the concerns previously mostly unfamiliar with. In the U.S., the process led to a boom of cheap energy and strong economic impulses.

Unconventional gas resources

• shale gas

  shale gas stored in dense Tonsteinschichten, where it has also been formed. In northern Germany they lie at depths of about 1000-25000 meters. Shale gas is not yet supported in Germany. To promote it, it requires the hydraulic fracturing method – so fracking.

• coalbed

  Coal Seam Gas means gas that is created and included in the coal layers. These deposits are located in this country in the depths of about 1000 meters. From international experience, a probability of 50 percent can be derived to be able to dispense with the production of Kohlflözgas on fracking.

• Tight Gas

  Tight gas is located in a particularly dense sand or limestone layers at depths below 3500 meters. The rock layers are characterized by an extremely reduced permeability. The natural gas is located Unlike slate or Kohlflözgas here in reservoir rocks, and not where the gas originated. Tight gas is produced in Lower Saxony since the 1990s, with about three percent but only a small proportion of the total funding. Tight gas can be promoted only by fracking. Because of the many experiences of professionals, Tight gas is today hardly referred to as “unconventional”.

In Germany there should be legislation for the controversial technique before the summer break, as Federal Minister Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) had announced. Planned are requirements such as an environmental impact assessment and a ban in water protection areas. Thus, about 14 percent of the area would be excluded in Germany.

Greens and environmentalists that enough but far from. They demand a complete ban on fracking because of possible risks to drinking water. North Rhine-Westphalia state premier Hannelore Kraft (SPD) had even determined that the technology will not be introduced in their state, as long as it is state chair. Also in Germany appreciable occurrence of so-called unconventional gas are about shale suspected.

The prestigious BP-annual report shall certify the U.S., with its strong expansion of promotion thanks Fracking significantly to stable oil prices of recent years despite funding interruptions about to have contributed in Libya. U.S. President Barack Obama had the EU Member States recommended in April, “to find additional ways on how to expand and accelerate their energy independence” could.

Dealing with the fracking process is controversial in Germany. The Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources but sees no obstacles, such as its president Hans-Joachim Kuempel said recently.