Idiomas:

Riesgos de la explotación de gas de esquisto en Europa

2. Data and approach used in this risk analysis

    This analysis has drawn mainly on experience from North America, where hydraulic fracturing has been increasingly practised since early in the 2000s. The views of regulators, geological surveys and academics in Europe and North America were sought. Where possible, the results have been set in the European regulatory and technical context.

    The study includes a review of the efficiency and effectiveness of current EU legislation related to shale gas exploration and production and the degree to which it adequately covers the impacts and risks identified. It also includes a review of risk management measures.

    The study adopted a risk prioritisation approach to enable objective evaluation. The magnitude of potential hazards and the expected frequency or probability of the hazards were categorised on the basis of expert judgement and from analysis of hydraulic fracturing in the field where this evidence was available to allow risks to be evaluated. Where the uncertainty associated with the lack of information about environmental risks was significant, this was duly acknowledged. This approach enabled a prioritisation of overall risks.

    The study examined the stages in development of a hydraulic fracturing project, which included: 1. Well pad site identification and preparation; 2. Well design, drilling, casing and cementing; 3.Technical hydraulic fracturing stage; 4. Well completion; 5. Well production; 6. Well abandonment.

    The preliminary risk assessment covered potential risks for the environment and human health arising from hydrocarbons operations involving hydraulic fracturing in Europe in these various situations. The report identified a high risk for most of the environmental aspects examined in the case of the cumulative impact of multiple installations: Groundwater contamination, Surface water contamination, Water resources, Release to air, land take, Risk to biodiversity, Noise impacts, Traffic. The risk was classified moderate for the Visual impact and low for Seismicity.