Premium
The State of Play in Poland's Unconventional Shale and Oil Development
Author(s) -
Wesley Burnett J.,
Jackson Randall W.,
Blobaum Robert
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
development policy review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.671
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1467-7679
pISSN - 0950-6764
DOI - 10.1111/dpr.12117
Subject(s) - unconventional oil , bureaucracy , shale gas , oil shale , natural gas , state (computer science) , fossil fuel , petroleum engineering , european union , political science , natural resource economics , business , shale oil , geology , international trade , law , economics , engineering , paleontology , waste management , computer science , algorithm , politics
Following initial geological assessments, Poland was identified as having one of the largest reserves of unconventional natural gas in the European Union. The Poles, seeking to diversify their energy sources, met the news with tremendous fanfare. However, shale gas development often requires voluminous speculative activity before the gas can be successfully extracted – an activity which has been rare in Poland, where a lack of critical infrastructure coupled with bureaucratic red tape in the permission process has led to slow growth in exploration activities. This article examines the current situation in Poland's unconventional gas and oil development.