Brussels, 20/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - Although shale gas is a new source of potential energy and the member states are sovereign in the choice of their energy mix, any exploitation of this non-conventional gas in the EU must satisfy the highest environmental standards, according to the environment committee at the European Parliament, chaired by Matthias Groote (S&D, Germany). This being the case, it is by a large majority (63 votes for, one against and one abstention) that the MEPs followed their rapporteur, Boguslaw Sonik (EPP, Poland). The committee members call for the start of exploration of oil shale and shale gas in some countries of the EU to be framed by “robust regulatory regimes”. The member states should be cautious while waiting for the analysis which will determine if the European regulation is adequate, says the environment committee. The European Commission has already concluded that European rules adequately cover the licences, the early exploration and the production of shale gas, but that “a thorough analysis” of the regulation on unconventional fossil fuels is necessary, given the possible expansion of their exploitation, the committee says. Its members advocate that specific plans linked to the use of water should accompany any fracking activities and as much water as possible should be recycled. They also call for companies to disclose which chemicals are used to comply with EU legislation.
The same call for caution was issued by the energy committee chaired by Amalia Sartori (EPP, Italy), which gave its opinion on 18 September on industrial, energy and other aspects linked to the gas and to shale oil. In adopting the report by Niki Tzavela (EFD, Greece) with a large majority (32 votes for, 23 against and one abstention), the energy committee members stressed that each country in the EU has the right to decide to exploit shale gas or not, but that member states should have robust rules on activities linked to shale gas activities, especially fracking. They want the EU to learn from American experiences with a view to using environmentally-friendly industrial processes and the “best available technologies”.
MEPs from the energy committee recognise that gas consumption is currently increasing in the EU, with imports predicted to reach 450 billion m3 per year by 2035. While they agree that new sources of gas could contribute to the diversity of supply, they stress that, in order to reduce dependence on imports, other measures are necessary, like renewable energy and energy efficiency, the energy committee says. The Parliament will give its opinion on the two draft resolutions in the plenary session in October. (AN/trans.fl)