Chevron pushes European shale strategy

摘要

Chevron is confident that it can create a viable shale gas business in central and eastern Europe. But public protests, regulatory uncertainty and slow progress with exploration drilling have left doubts over the firm’s investments. Chevron has identified Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Lithuania and Bulgaria as a “focus area” for shale exploration. “We are purposely pursuing multiple countries,” the firm’s deputy directorgeneral of onshore Europe, Douglas Uchikura, says. “It is going to be cumulatively put together.” Poland alone has 148 trillion ft3 (4 trillion m3) of technically recoverable shale gas, the US EIA estimates. But Chevron says it is far too early to think about replicating the shale boom seen in the US. The firm has held back from releasing data from the four wells it has drilled in the Lublin basin in southeastern Poland but “we have seen enough to keep us interested and continue to pursue the exploration phase”, Uchikura says.