Shale Gas in Europe: A Multidisciplinary Analysis With a Focus on European Specificities (European Energy Studies)

Over recent years, large-scale extraction of shale gas in North America has led to a growing attention to the potential opportunities and risks of unconventional gas extraction elsewhere, including in Europe where available sources are known to exist. The US experience shows that industry-wide extraction of shale gas may positively change the game, leading notably to an increased security of supply. But, the US experience also demonstrates that intensive extraction of shale gas entails environmental risks, in particular due to the intensive use of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. From a multidisciplinary viewpoint - of engineers, economists, policymakers, lawyers, and sociologists - this book assesses the specificities of large-scale shale gas extraction in Europe. Each topic is discussed in the light of the US experience, with a particular focus that highlights Europe's differences. The book evaluates the potential of shale gas in the EU, including the potential risks. The institutional framework is explained as it defines the legal and regulatory conditions under which industry-wide shale gas extraction will develop. Taking this background into consideration, the book's contributors anticipate the challenges ahead for shale gas extraction for the EU. The book also gives an account of individual stories in some EU countries, ranging from the French ban on shale gas to wide governmental support in Poland. (Series: European Energy Studies - Vol. 5)