Poland to produce shale gas in 5-10 years – expert

Paweł Poprawa, energy expert from the Energy Studies Institute, said in an interview with the Polish Press Agency that because of the slow progress in shale gas exploration in the country, Poland still has to wait 5-10 years to produce its own shale gas. “There is no great progress in Poland,” Poprawa said. “Works on our deposits have slowed down significantly.” The progress is slowed down by the properties of Polish shale, but also administrative procedures add to the problems faced by exploration firms, Poprawa added. The problems might be exacerbated by crude oil price declines, the expert warns. With production costs exceeding crude oil price, oil firms will suffer cash depletion, which will result in lower spending in Poland, Poprawa said, pointing to ConocoPhillips and Chevron, which are still present in Poland.