Selected Issues of Shale Gas Exploitation

Natural gas is considered to be the one of the most ecological sources of energy. Natural gas is more and more often used in energy and industrial sectors around the world, including Poland. Forecasts suggest that within a few decades of natural gas resources will be exhausted. Shale gas is considered to be an unconventional resource. It is deposited in hard to access sedimentary basins (at a depth of 0.5 to 4 km). Access to shale gas was difficult due to technical limitations and high costs. Conventional gas price increases and gas demand is growing so there is more interest by the state and fuel companies in the shale gas exploitation. In Poland according to estimates by consulting companies resources of shale gas could be from 1.5 to even 3 trillion m(3). If this is confirmed Poland has a chance to become one of the largest exploiters and exporters of natural gas, changing its current market position and pattern of energy resources use.