Environment issues could mar the country?s shale gas exploration dream, indicates the government?s initial assessment of the challenges in building this industry in the country from the scratch.
Enthused by the US? success in tapping this relatively new source of energy, the government has been enthusiastic about putting shale gas blocks under the hammer next year. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the two countries differ in the benefit-risk assessment of exploring this unconventional source of natural gas.
As per the government?s assessment, one shale gas well has to be drilled in every five acre and each such well would require two million gallons of water to pump the gas out. In a process called hydraulic fracing, a mix of water, sand and chemicals are pumped into the well and sucked out along with the gas. ?This much water requirement could exhaust the entire sweet water in the Cambay basin,? said a person privy to the assessment. Cambay basin in Gujarat is one of the areas identified for offering to explorers under a contract.
The other region that has been identified for offer is Assam. The difficulty here is that it is a populous region and is difficult to carve out space for drilling. Higher population means smaller landholding, which makes it difficult for the government to acquire land for exploration. Instances of possible litigation too are high when the number of land owners are high. Shale gas also requires more number of wells per area than conventional oil exploration.
Now the petroleum ministry is doing a resource estimation before carving out blocks to be offered. The ministry is expected to go ahead as planned. But opposition from political parties and environment protection groups about the potential hazards to drinking water and nature could gain a higher pitch eventually, sources in the government, who did not wish to be quoted, said. Air and water pollution are globally considered as the environmental impact of shale gas exploration, which has forced many state authorities in the US to halt expansion of their shale exploration activities.
New York has already implemented a moratorium on further expansion of shale exploration, while certain municipalities in Colorado, Pennsylvania, Texas and New Mexico have passed resolutions to that effect. The US, which five years ago exempted hydraulic fracing from being regulated under its Safe Drinking Water Act, is now reviewing this decision in the wake of demand from environmentalists.