Waldemar Pawlak, expected to be Poland’s deputy prime minister in the new ruling coalition, believes that investors should not be overly anxious over the EU’s complaint that Poland must register all chemicals used in the extraction of shale gas.

“If these substances are already being used and are not doing any harm [to the environment] in Canada or America, I don’t imagine they are going to do particular harm to the European environment, rather we should expect a similar effect,” Pawlak, who was also economy minister in the previous ruling coalition before the 9 October elections, has said.

“So it is not worth getting hysterical about it and exaggerating the matter,” he added.

Yesterday, the European Commission clarified that chemicals intended for use in the extraction of shale gas must be described as such in the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), a stipulation that has not been followed by Polish firms to date.

The stipulation about registration of chemicals came into force in 2008, and a prerequisite for suppliers is that they must clearly state the intended purpose of the chemicals.

In the case of shale gas extraction, the chemicals will be used for “fracking”, namely breaking up rocks to obtain gas below the earth’s surface.

The EC press department has further specified that suppliers who have not registered their products correctly will be obliged to submit a case study that explores whether or not the chemicals will have a detrimental effect on the environment.

Poland has high hopes that tapping its shale gas resources will make it increasingly independent in the energy sector. However, although it initially supported blanket EU regulations governing the extraction, Poland has now begun to lobby against further laws.

A debate in the European Parliament earlier this month saw vehement opposition to the extraction of shale gas from the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI). However, the EC does not endorse the opinion of the parliamentary committee.

Meanwhile, the EU has announced that is collecting its own specialist reports on the matter, and may outline regulations on shale gas extraction next year.

Poland will oppose such regulations, as underlined in a report circulated earlier this month by the Polish Institute of International Affairs.

“Because of the complexity and breadth of this debate, it seems unfeasible to consider introducing a comprehensive legal or regulatory framework [on shale gas] within the EU,” the report claims.

Source: thenewspl.com