The European methane belt
The European methane belt

Summary/Abstract: On the background of European counterpoints regarding unconventional gas, Poland and Ukraine currently stand out as the advance-guard of unconventional gas exploration in continental Europe. In this article an attempt is made to forecast the different scenarios of unconventional gas production in Ukraine and Poland with the aim of anticipating the consequences of these scenarios. Concerning the formation of a unique methane axis of Europe formed by Poland and Ukraine: the actual realization of the optimistic scenario of gas extraction would allow us to say that such an axis could be expanded in future by means of other countries, like Romania and Bulgaria, which have the prospect of new offshore discoveries in the Black Sea. The realization of this scenario could be a factor in significant geopolitical changes in Europe, in particular the reduction of the dependence of vulnerable Central and Eastern European countries on the monopolistic gas suppliers of the East.

• Details
• Contents