Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-11-20-Speech-2-460-000"
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"en.20121120.31.2-460-000"2
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Madam President, honourable Members, to add to the comments of my colleague Mr Potočnik, I would also like to thank the two committees and the two responsible MEPs for the reports, which highlight the diversity of the issue of unconventional gas and oil energy resources, in particular shale gas. This is an issue that involves environmental protection and climate-related aspects, energy policy and industrial aspects, as well as social issues. The three studies carried out on behalf of the Commission, which we published a few weeks ago and are now analysing, form a parallel basis that will enable us to conduct a comprehensive consultation and arrive at a conclusion within the European Union.
We should not deceive ourselves: as for many other issues related to energy policy, there was also a broad range of opinions and interests in the area of shale gas. Some Member States are categorically against it, others have moratoriums in place and certain countries see shale gas as something that can make an important contribution to resolving the question of their energy independence.
The change in the United States is a far-reaching one: the Americans are largely independent of gas imports and will be able to decide whether they are even in a position to export gas. The gas price in the United States is currently only around a quarter to a third of the price being paid on the European Union’s gas markets. Shale gas provides flexibility and makes it possible to move away from long-term supply contracts with high gas prices linked to the global market price of oil, and US production is also indirectly bringing about a change on the global market: large quantities of LNG that were previously transported by ship to the United States from Nigeria and Qatar have now been freed up. This LNG is being integrated to a greater extent into the energy strategies of Japan – following the shutdown of nuclear power stations in the aftermath of Fukushima – and also Europe, with its existing and planned LNG terminals.
From our perspective, for the European gas market it is inconceivable for a number of reasons that shale gas will cover all of our gas requirements: all the initial analyses have shown that our deposits are considerably smaller and the costs of production here are higher. It is also clear that the European Union’s dense population of 500 million people will reduce the potential compared with that of the United States, whose deposits in some cases are in sparsely populated regions and states, even if it does not eliminate this potential altogether. Questions of acceptance also come into the equation.
For that reason we will steadfastly continue to develop our policy of completing the internal energy market in order to increase security of supply, further expand renewable energies and drive forward energy efficiency in an effective way. Shale gas will not replace the internal market, energy efficiency or renewable energy sources, but it can complement them.
At present we have a gas market within the EU with an annual consumption of around 540 billion cubic metres. A third of our resources are produced within the European Union, namely in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Over the next 15 to 20 years this potential, these production volumes, will decline markedly. One opportunity may be for shale gas to replace some of the existing conventional production volumes, so that every cubic metre that we previously produced in Europe does not have to be imported into Europe on a one-for-one basis in the future. In this respect shale gas could contribute to our objective of diversification.
At the moment only a small amount of test drilling has been carried out in the Member States. For that reason we will firmly support demonstration projects. We need more reliable information on the quantities of gas and on exploration costs.
One fascinating question will be whether European legislation will be necessary, that is to say whether – something for which Mr Potočnik will be responsible – the regulatory framework for the protection of groundwater and surface water, soil, the countryside and the natural environment that exists at European level is sufficient or whether supplementary European legislation will be needed.
In its work programme for 2013 the Commission has deliberately included an initiative for which several Commissioners are responsible – Mr Potočnik, Ms Hedegaard, Mr Tajani, Mr Barnier and myself – that will deal with the relevant environmental, climate protection, energy and industrial aspects. We are particularly interested in the dialogue that you have started today, in the points you have raised, in your opinions and in the extremely objective reports of the two committees, which will provide a basis for the conclusions to be reached together next year."@en1
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