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Companies willing to explore shale gas cannot succeed without local support
The companies interested in exploring shale gas in Romania must understand that they can succeed only if local communities stand next to them, the Minister of Environment and Climate Exchange Attila Korodi told Agerpres.
'(...) for all things related to the exploration of possible shale gas deposit resources, hydraulic fracturing is prohibited. The environmental authorizations issued so far clearly state that. Fracking is applicable at most in laboratories. This means a 4 to 5-year period before Romania gets a national map of deposits. I want to add a comment on exploration. It is not up to the Ministry of Environment, but it's about the companies' behaviour. I don't think that these companies will be able to manage this issue without local support. I don't think that the gesture in southern Transylvania, in the Sibiu [central Romania] area, when companies that intended to explore trespassed on private land is normal. It is an inadmissible and immoral thing to happen. These companies must understand that irrespective the authorizations issued at local or central level, they can succeed in Romania only if local communities stand next to them. Otherwise, the companies won't stand a real chance to reach the deposits,' Korodi warned.
According to the environment minister, the authorities must guarantee that any industrial activity, including the exploration and exploitation of shale gas complies with the Romanian and European laws; he asserted his impartiality on this matter.
'Otherwise they don't have any chances, because no Government can endorse it, and this has been demonstrated over time,' Korodi said.
According to infogazedesist.eu data, Romania currently has shale gas reserves amounting to 1,444 billion cubic meters, ranking third among European countries, next to Poland (4,190 billion cubic meters) and France (3,879 billion cubic meters).
As regards the recoverable reserves of oil shale, Romania ranks sixth,with 300 million barrels.
The Constanta County (southeastern Romania) Environment Protection Agency (APM) has issued in May 2013 the decision of the stage classification for the Chevron Romania Exploration and Production Company in the perimeters of Costinesti and Vama Veche, including the seismic prospecting of resources.
The Vaslui County (eastern Romania) APM also informed on July 19, 2013 that it has issued environmental authorization for three projects owned by the Chevron Romania Exploration and Production Company concerning the works of land management and drilling at the rigs of Popeni 1 A in Gagesti Village, Silistea 1A in Pungesti Village, and Paltinis 1 A in Bacesti Village.
Chevron has concessions for prospecting shale gas in three basins of Romania, stretching on 270,000 hectares (Costinesti and Vama Veche in Constanta County and Barlad in Vaslui County).