Why is there no fracking in Europe?
That is partly because of environmental concerns, which are more vocal in Europe. Fracking can lead to methane leakage and groundwater pollution, as well as carbon emissions.
But a close examination of the industry suggests that any fracking boom in Europe is a long way off—and some experts say that it may never arrive. Despite several years of exploratory drilling, there are currently no commercial shale-gas wells in Europe.
Fracking has become a contentious environmental and health issue with Tunisia and France banning the practice and a de facto moratorium in place in Quebec (Canada), and some of the states of the US.
Germany loves gas, but fracking is banned
But Europe's largest economy banned shale gas fracking at home in 2017. The ban, which was due to be reviewed in 2021 but remains in place, extends to deep-lying "unconventional" shale gas deposits that can only be extracted through hydraulic fracturing.
Since 2011, French law has banned any use of hydraulic fracturing techniques in the exploration and development of gas reserves in France.
Fracking has been a controversial issue in German society, largely due to residents' worries about the environmental risks when extraction takes place in a country which is much more densely populated than prominent producing regions like the state of Texas in the U.S..
The French parliament passed a law in 2011 outlawing fracking because of concern it can pollute drinking water, effectively halting plans by companies including Total SA (FP) to explore for shale gas in southern France.
Only the United States, Canada, China and Argentina extract enough volumes of shale gas and shale oil to market them. The United States is the fastest-growing country in the production of shale oil, using combined techniques of deep vertical-horizontal drilling and hydraulic rock stimulation by fracking.
Vermont, which has no known frackable gas reserves, banned fracking preventatively in May 2012. In March 2017, Maryland became the second state in the US with proven gas reserves to pass a law banning fracking.
Over the past two decades, due to technological advancements in the combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology,1 the United States is now firmly the world's largest producer of both natural gas and crude oil.
Does Canada allow fracking?
Evolution of Fracking in Canada
Today, fracking is used to produce both oil and natural gas in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The evolution of fracking techniques has increased the potential to expand resource development across other provinces.
The United States represents just below 60 percent of worldwide activity. New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Quebec have banned fracking.
In October 2022, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reinstated England's fracking ban moratorium after it was briefly lifted by his predecessor Liz Truss.
Today, China manufactures key hydraulic fracturing equipment such as trucks, pumps, and proppants, and has developed an oilfield services industry that rivals the rest of the globe.
Although fracking has been banned in some countries, including France, Bulgaria and Spain, and faces criticism worldwide, it continues to be backed in Mexico – this despite President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's declaration in 2019 that there would be no fracking in Mexican territory.
Norway lies above the Alum Shale, and the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has stated that it is not economically viable to develop shale oil and gas in Norway for the foreseeable future. However Norwegian companies are acquiring resources and utilizing hydraulic fracturing technology within the United States.
Not all the water used in a fracking process is recovered. Once injected, some of the toxic fluid remains trapped underground, allowing hazardous materials and carcinogens to leech into and contaminate groundwater.
Take a look: With 95% of new natural gas and oil wells developed with hydraulic fracturing, a ban on fracking most likely would end U.S. global leadership in natural gas and oil production and make America weaker, less secure. It would hamstring the economy and could cost millions of jobs.
The process creates vast amounts of wastewater, emits greenhouse gases such as methane, releases toxic air pollutants and generates noise. Studies have shown these gas and oil operations can lead to loss of animal and plant habitats, species decline, migratory disruptions and land degradation.
Despite this, many Australian states still allow fracking in 2021. This includes Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. On the other hand, state governments in Tasmania and Victoria have banned fracking.
Which European countries are banning fracking?
Due to environmental and geological concerns, European countries banned fracking one after the other: France in 2011, Denmark and Bulgaria in 2012, the Netherlands in 2015 and Germany in 2017.
Fracking has been documented in more than 30 U.S. states and is particularly widespread in North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Texas. And it's expanding into new areas, making states like California, New Mexico and Nevada increasingly threatened by a potential fracking boom. 2. How does fracking contaminate our water?
Fracked natural gas burns more cleanly than coal and oil, so the net result is less carbon and other particulates. By replacing coal with gas, America has led the world in reducing carbon pollution. It may sound strange, but natural gas is a fossil fuel that's so far been good for the climate.
- China – 1,115.
- Argentina – 802.
- Algeria – 707.
- U.S. – 665.
- Canada – 573.
- Mexico – 545.
- Australia – 437.
- South Africa – 390.
The main advantage of fracking is that it enables access to unconventional hydrocarbon deposits, which until a few years ago could not be extracted. This makes it possible to access gas and oil in countries and territories that until now depended on other countries to generate hydrocarbons.
