EU ministers still have ‘significant doubts’ about shale gas

Environment minister Leo Brincat has said the EU still has significant doubts about the use of shale gas and its impact on geological conditions, production costs, and socio-environmental impacts.

Participating in a discussion about the environmental impact of shale gas, during a meeting among EU environment ministers in Vilnius, Lithuania, Brincat said the largest challenges faced by EU countries will be the impact this gas can have on energy prices, competition and security of supply.

The use of shale gas, known as 'unconventional gas' is a growing phenomenon, especially in the US, where it is referred to as the 'shale gas revolution'.

Shale gas is natural gas that is found trapped within shale formations.

Brincat said that the environmental risks of using shale gas could be water pollution and methane emissions.

He added that it was important to see whether technology would be advanced enough to address these problems.

Although shale gas could lessen the dependency on coal, many ministers have expressed concern that it may also lead to less investment in renewable, clean energy.

Brincat said it is not known whether shale gas exists in Malta. "Not to mention that we still have not started to use conventional gas in a positive way," he added.

"If the global supply of gas increases, the price of methane gas could go down," he said, but concluded that environmental health and biodiversity should take priority above all else in the matter.