Gas extraction in Europe would not be as cost-effective as in the US due to geographical and geological reasons, she said in an interview to BNS.
“It's what all experts would say - it is more difficult geologically in Europe, many more people living in different spots – so for these reasons – the experts say – we will not have prices as low as in United States,” the Commissioner said.
If a European Union Member State – Lithuania or any other country – wants to produce shale gas, the Commission will not object, yet each country should first assess environmental impact, Hedegaard says.
“It’s very important to look into the environmental aspect – what does fracking imply, what are the risks, chemicals, water contamination, ground water contamination, water resources – are they there? These are the very fundamental questions, which must of course be very carefully analyzed before you start doing it,” she said.
The EU’s climate chief said at the European Business Summit last week that Europe should “forget US-style shale gas revolution” as it would not be able to replicate the US’ shale gas boom due to different geographical factors.
The European summit meeting in Brussels on Wednesday also discussed shale gas. EU President Herman Van Rompuy had warned earlier that Europe risked becoming the only continent to depend on imported energy.
