European Shale gas

Western Europe is a region that has been said to have only minor shale gas resources (~ 510 tcf) as compared to 16,112 tcf worldwide (Rogner, 1997). One reason for this is Europe's strong compartmentalization of the geological setting as compared to the large sedimentary basins in the US. However, as black shales with a wide range of maturities occur in almost all European Phanerozoic formations a significant potential for exploration success exists and - assuming successful exploration - may buffer local energy demands.
European shale gas exploration is still in its infancy, although the first ideas to search for this unconventional gas resource can be dated back to the 1980s (Selley, 1987). To date, shale gas exploration is underway in Poland, Sweden, Austria, Germany and other countries.