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Romanian-US working group to look into impacts of shale gas exploration
Romania's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business Milieu (MECMA) and the US Embassy in Bucharest will set up an expert Romanian-US working group that will look into the impacts on the environment and the population of exploring for shale gas, MECMA reports in a press release.
Romanian Economy Minister Daniel Chitoiu on Monday welcomed US ambassador in Bucharest Mark H. Gitenstein and US Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy Richard Morningstar to brief them on the priorities of the Romanian Government in relation to the development of the energy sector and inform them that it still has a major interest in diversifying the country's energy sources needed for the Romanian economy to flourish, saying that the moratorium on the exploitation of shale gas is in line with the regulations of the European Union and international rules. The moratorium will be lifted once specialist studies on the effects on the environment of the shale gas exploitation will be made known to the public at large and confirm exploitation safety. It was agreed that greater transparency and better information of the Romanian public about the technologies, procedures and advantages of exploring for and exploiting such natural resources are needed, MECMA reports.
In the same context, the issue of the South natural gas transmission corridors was also discussed, with the Romanian side voicing interest in any major project that would include the corridors crossing Romania, with a mention that the Nabucco project is still a main priority but studies and detailed analyses are underway related to other projects of special importance to Europe's energy independence, such as the South-Eastern European gas pipeline.
Ambassador Gitenstein said last week that he wants to discuss with Minister Chitoiu the moratorium imposed by the Romanian Government on shale gas, as he wanted to find out the reasons behind it.
Romanian Minister of the Environment Rovana Plumb said early this month that shale gas exploration is suspended in Romania throughout the year and that no environmental approval will be issued to this end unless supported by scientific documentation.
This March, the then Romanian Government issued to Chevron Romania three licences for gas exploration, development and exploitation on three blocks of the southeastern province of Dobrogea. The company also has a licence for exploration in the eastern Barlad area.