Can Unconventional Gas be a Game Changer in European Gas Markets?

Although unconventional gas development will not be a game changer for European gas markets overall it could have a significant impact in individual countries although probably not this decade. Florence Gény’s study argues that much more stringent European environmental standards difficulties of access to land and fresh water and lack of incentives for landowners to allow companies to drill will require a completely different business model for unconventional gas development in Europe compared to what has been seen in the US. Although the impact could be greater in Poland and Germany overall it would be surprising if unconventional gas provided more than 5% of European gas demand before the early 2020s.

By: Florence Gény