Although the extraction of shale gas by hydraulic fracturing has not been possible since 2011, France does not deprive itself of consuming it in the United States. A way of not taking on the environmental problems related to this technique?
As a reminder, hydraulic fracturing is used to exploit so-called unconventional hydrocarbons, such as shale gas, which are trapped at great depth in rocks with low permeability. This method involves injecting a fluid composed of water, sand and chemical additives into the " bedrock " in order to dislocate it, and thus extract resources that would not be economically exploitable. , with the usual techniques.
For all these reasons, France has decided to ban this technique in 2011, becoming the first country in the world to do so, and passing across on its own reserves, which are consistent in the southeast. A decision confirmed at the end of 2017, when France banned on its soil the extraction of all hydrocarbons, conventional and unconventional, by 2040. Again, a first in the world!
After two years of negotiations and preparations, imports finally started in 2017, first indirectly, through other European countries, then directly from the United States to France since last year. First modest, their pace has accelerated in 2019: " US gas imports have almost quadrupled since the beginning of the year, " we learn in particular on BFM Business.
A trend that is not likely to be reversed, since France and most European countries seek to reduce their dependence on Russia for their gas supply ...
Sources: BFM Business, Observatory of multinationals
As a reminder, hydraulic fracturing is used to exploit so-called unconventional hydrocarbons, such as shale gas, which are trapped at great depth in rocks with low permeability. This method involves injecting a fluid composed of water, sand and chemical additives into the " bedrock " in order to dislocate it, and thus extract resources that would not be economically exploitable. , with the usual techniques.
Exploitation by hydraulic fracturing prohibited
Invented in the 1940s, hydraulic fracturing has seen an impressive boom in recent decades, particularly in North America. And despite the many controversies over its environmental impact: intense water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, pollutant release, micro-earthquakes, landscape degradation, contaminated groundwater, etc.For all these reasons, France has decided to ban this technique in 2011, becoming the first country in the world to do so, and passing across on its own reserves, which are consistent in the southeast. A decision confirmed at the end of 2017, when France banned on its soil the extraction of all hydrocarbons, conventional and unconventional, by 2040. Again, a first in the world!
What about importation and consumption in France?
However, if the exploitation of shale gas by hydraulic fracturing has been banned, this is not the case of its consumption, via the importation by boat, which remains, it, quite legal! A " loophole " in the device, which has also seized several French energy groups: Total, EDF, Engie. Earlier this year, the Observatory of Multinationals also revealed that the first contracts were signed in 2015, in the heart of the Paris Conference (COP21) on the climate ...After two years of negotiations and preparations, imports finally started in 2017, first indirectly, through other European countries, then directly from the United States to France since last year. First modest, their pace has accelerated in 2019: " US gas imports have almost quadrupled since the beginning of the year, " we learn in particular on BFM Business.
A trend that is not likely to be reversed, since France and most European countries seek to reduce their dependence on Russia for their gas supply ...
Sources: BFM Business, Observatory of multinationals
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