Fracking Ban A Risk To Watch As Market Remains Attractive

摘要

In a blow to Spain's efforts to tap shale gas, regional lawmakers in the Cantabria region voted unanimously to ban hydraulic fractur- ing (fracking) on April 8 2013. Cantabria, alongside the northern regions of Basque Country and Castilla and Leon, is the site of one of Spain's most prospective shale gas plays. According to a March report from the Spanish National Association of Oil and Gas Com- panies (ACIEP), the Cantabrian Basin is Spain's most prospective shale play, with some 202 exploration wells drilled in the basin to date. The vote for a ban was not unexpected; the Cantabria region had halted exploration in October 2012 as it made preparations for the legislation.