Drilling for shale gas: early stages in Romania, lengthy process in Poland

American oil and gas company Chevron has been drilling for the last three to four years in search of shale gas in South – Eastern Poland, a country where fracking is in a more advanced stage than in Romania. Chevron has also started drilling for shale gas at one site in Romania's North – East earlier this year. Somehow similarly to Romania, the exploration for shale gas has faced different reactions: “Some were enthusiastic to see a chance for development and jobs, while those who live near the drilling site were skeptical,” Krzysztof Bartuzi, the deputy director of the Department of Economy and Innovation with the Lubelskie Voievodship in Poland told Romania-Insider.com. Chevron has four wells in SE Poland, at Krasnik, Gawrobiek, Frampol, and Zwierzyniec, all of which are located in the Lubelskie voievodship. Poland was the first European country where Chevron started drilling for shale gas. In Poland, Chevron started exploring for shale gas in partnership with a local company, the Polish state-owned PGNiG. The PGNiG-operated Markowola-1 exploration well near Kozienice in the Lublin Province, part of the Lubelskie Voievodship, was the site of Poland’s first shale hydraulic fracturing operation in 2010. Chevron and the state – owned PGNiG earlier this year agreed on a partnership to jointly hunt for shale gas in SE Poland, together assessing gas deposits in these areas and exchange geological information. “It is a long and complicated process, and the national Government will help in the future. The decision whether to exploit shale gas or not will be a national one, as it is part of the country's energy strategy,” Bartuzi told Romania-Insider.com. “As far as I know, the only place where this process is fast is in the US,” he added. But the Polish official believes that once the decision moment will arrive, the decision will come quickly. Chevron started drilling for shale gas in Romania earlier this year, triggering a wave of protests, both locally, and in large Romanian cities. Environmental activists fought the process, and managed to delay the start of drilling, but eventually Chevron has started drilling their first well near the village of Pungesti. Back in 2011, drilling for shale gas was a priority for the Polish Government, and it continues to be, according to media reports. “Shale gas exploration and extraction is a priority for our government, and that’s the reason we’ve decided to focus the investment energy of many companies,” says Mikolaj Budzanowski, Poland’s treasury minister, supervising the country’s state-owned oil and gas enterprise. So far, 111 exploration concessions have been awarded to about 30 companies, both state-owned and international, on a territory of more than 35,000 square miles – nearly a third of the country, according to a report by Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.