Bulgaria has become the third country in Europe that has imposed a ban on the exploration and production of shale gas using hydraulic fracturing. This happened after Bulgarian Parliament adopted a resolution for an indefinite ban on this very controversial technology on Wednesday. The other two countries are France and Ireland, with the ban in Ireland applying only to the northern part of its territory
A day earlier, the Bulgarian government withdrew its decision taken in the middle of last year that permitted the US-based company Chevron to conduct prospecting and exploration of shale gas in the region of Novi Pazar in Northern Bulgaria.
Both decisions came in response to the growing fears in the Bulgarian society оf the environmental risks posed by the only available technology for exploration and production of shale gas to date. In general, it consists of hydraulic fracturing of earth layers under a pressure of above 20 atmospheres. The main platform for the expression of public fears has become the Citizens’ Initiative for banning the exploration and production of shale gas by this method, a movement that organized a series of rallies in various cities over the past six months. The problem is that Chevron was planning to operate in an area where drinking water comes only from groundwater aquifers. A possible contamination of these aquifers with any of the many highly toxic chemicals used to break the shale rocks would have dangerous consequences on the health of people in this densely populated area, involving our biggest sea resort town of Varna.
The environmental considerations prevailed in resolving an issue very important for Bulgaria's economic and geopolitical future. According to Chevron’s initial estimates, the the reserves of shale gas near the town of Novi Pazar are not negligable at all - between 300 billion and 1 trillion cubic meters. If these estimates are true, Bulgaria would hold two very important trump cards. Firstly, shale gas would provide the country's strategic independence from the supplies of Russian gas. Secondly, local gas production would reduce the price of this commodity in this country.
On the Old Continent, extensive exploration for shale gas is carried out in half a dozen countries. According to data from the audit and consulting company Ernst & Young, Europe owns 10% of the world’s reserves of shale gas, with the largest amounts being concentrated in two countries - France and Poland.
In Bulgaria, the people from the Citizens’ Initiative on banning the exploration and production of shale gas via the hydraulic fracturing method are satisfied with their "first victory". Yet, they are not planing to beat a retreat, but will continute their struggle to achieve a full legislative ban on this type of shale gas exploration and production. "The ban adopted yesterday by the National Assembly is called an indefinite ban, but it is only a parlimanetary decision which may, at any time, be revoked just as hastily as it was adopted," said for Radio Bulgaria Mariana Hristova from the Citizens' Initiative. Environmentalists insist that the ban on exploration and production of shale gas using hydraulic fracturing should become part of the Mineral Resources Act. They also insist that the Environment Act should contain a requirement for assessing the environmental impact of all deep drilling activities as early as their exploration stage.
Translated by: Rossitsa Petcova
