Pres Komorowski to ‘protect’ shale gas investments?

In an exclusive interview for Polish Radio 1, Friday morning, Komorowski said that the role of Polish and American administrations could be to make sure that business linked to shale gas extraction can flourish.

The comment comes ahead of the 17th Meeting of Presidents of Central European States which is to take place in Warsaw today. US President Barack Obama is expected to attend a working dinner this evening as part of the summit.

Speaking to Polish Radio, Bronislaw Komorowski said that “an element of Polish-US administrative cooperation could make sure that black propaganda does not get in the way of any possible [shale gas] investments.”

The comment echoes Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski’s statement last week that shale gas production should go ahead despite a recent motion in the French parliament on the banning of oil and gas fracking, as well as the consequences it might have on the European stage.

It is widely thought that the atomic and environmentalist lobbies were behind the French case, as well as alleged indirect pressure from Russian gas exporters Gazprom.

However, President Komorowski conceded that it is still too early to talk about energy security in the context of shale gas, as only a few test boreholes have been drilled and tests are yet to be conducted on the fuel.

According to estimates by the US Energy Information Administration, Poland has the richest deposits of shale gas in Europe, with around 5.3 trillion cubic metres. (jb)