Methane Clouds Europe's Shale Gas Plans

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) - The ambitions of some European countries hoping to kick-start a shale gas revolution have been overshadowed by news that companies will have to monitor and account for methane gas emissions.

Jos Delbeke, the director of the European Commission's climate department told EurActiv: "We must know what the methane emissions are going to be. Either the companies are going to put it on the table or a regulation is going to come at the European level. I leave that open."

The U.K. and Poland are fast-tracking efforts to get shale gas exploration off the ground in an effort to partially emulate the kind of success seen in recent years in the United States. This summer the U.K. government announced significant tax breaks to attract investors to the developing sector. It is offering to halve the tax they pay on profits to get the so-called 'shale gas boom' started. For additional information, see August 2, 2013, article - Shale Gas Tax Breaks for U.K..

Speaking at a presentation for a new methane emissions report by Dr. David Allen, organised by the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (OGP), Delbeke warned: "We are learning that there are severe problems with the development of methane".

Compared to CO2 emissions, methane is at 72 times more potent over a 20 year period and at least 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period.

Studies into methane emissions vary in their conclusions. The most recent study, launched last week by Dr. David Allen of the University of Texas, found that emissions from well 'completions' lower than previously thought, even if leaks from pneumatic controllers and equipment were higher. Allen had 'unprecedented access' to U.S. shale gas sites, with measurements taken at 190 production sites owned by nine US companies. Total methane emissions were 0.42% of gross gas production compared to the 0.47% presented in the 2011 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) inventory. Some critics contest Allen's findings as the report was sponsored by the oil and gas industry.

Delbeke told the Daily Telegraph: "Methane is a much more powerful greenhouse gas than CO2. The level of methane emissions tilts the balance for or against the development of shale: it is the central issue. We don't want to copy and paste what happened in the U.S.. We will do things differently in Europe".

An indication of how Europe's regulators feel about the whole shale gas question will be made clear in the coming week as the European Parliament is due to vote on whether shale gas firms will have to carry out Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) before they drill.

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