France withdraws shale gas permits

The French government on Monday withdrew three permits for shale gas exploration, reducing hopes within the industry that a controversial method for extracting natural gas might be approved in France.

AFP/Philippe Merle

Two permits had been issued to a Dallas-based firm, Schuepbach, and the third to the French energy giant Total.

All three sites were in the southwest of France.

In July, France became the first country to ban tapping gas from shale rock using a technique called hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking", which has led to concerns about spills, leaks and the contamination of groundwater.

The companies then had two months to submit convincing plans for exploratory drilling using alternative techniques.

Ecology Minister Kosciusko-Morizet said none of the companies had drawn up plans which met requirements.

"In the two Schuepbach reports, the use of hydraulic fracturing was explicitly mentioned," she said.

The Total plan did not allude to fracking but Kosciusko-Morizet maintained that their plans were not credible.

"Total announced that it also wants to continue looking for shale gas with techniques that are not hydraulic fracturing but we know today that such technologies are not operational," she said.

Shale gas extraction has boomed in the United States, with thousands of wells drilled across the country in recent years.

Jean Louis Schilansky of Total criticised the minister's decision to revoke the permits saying "We are closing the door even before we understand, because of comparisons with the United States, on the basis of impressions and emotions."

Shale gas can be found in dense sedimentary rock which is fractured by water and chemicals that are piped in horizontally under high pressure.

Along with Poland, France is the European country with the greatest shale gas exploitation potential.