Sofia, July 16, (BTA/GNA) – A recent ruling of Bulgaria’s Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) has caused the voices against shale gas development in the northeast of the country to make themselves heard again.
That part of Bulgaria includes what is popularly known as “the Granary”, the geographical and historical region of Southern Dobrudzha which produces most of the nation’s wheat. It boasts particularly high soil fertility. It is no surprise, then, that for many years local people have been opposed to what they see as hazardous projects to explore for and extract shale gas in their land.
Euractiv suggests that shale gas could theoretically prove more useful in countries like Romania now that Russian natural gas supplies have been disrupted by political tensions amid the war in Ukraine. But wheat production, too, has grown in importance as a result of the war. If anything, this makes it less likely that the war will boost the fortunes of shale gas in Bulgaria’s Granary. The idea that shale gas could help reduce the EU’s dependence on Russian energy supplies is not new. It was discussed, for example, at a meeting of the European Parliament Environment Committee back in 2012.
The court ruling
On July 5, 2022, the SAC upheld a lower court’s decision to revoke a negative environmental impact assessment by the Dobrich Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water which underpinned the rejection of a shale gas development project in Dobrich Region (that is, the Granary). The investment, proposed by Rusgeokom BG EOOD, would develop the Spassovo site, which measures 219 square kilometres.
The SAC found that the environmental impact assessment did not conform to the law and therefore the lower court was right to invalidate it. The SAC said the impact report did not furnish any evidence and facts to support the negative conclusion against the project. The court also noted that the report selectively quoted only opinions expressed during the public coordination process, which were the opposite of what had been said in an initial review.
Wheat growers fumed. Five NGOs came up with a petition which was supported by almost 3,000 signatures by July 14. The petition calls for new legislation to ban the use of farmland for the purposes of exploring for and extracting gas, oil and other subsurface resources and to expand the scope of protected areas. The wheat growers argue that the soil of Dobrudzha is one of a kind owing to a number of specific conditions. Over 85% of it is chernozem (black soil), which has a very high percentage of organic matter that makes it very fertile and contributes to high agricultural yields. The petition also stresses that arable land is shrinking worldwide; the EU alone loses hundreds of hectares of arable land annually.
Quoting scientists, the petition describes the likely adverse effects of the drilling of 43 gas wells at the Spassovo site. It draws attention to the fact that, in addition to its remarkable soil, the region also has a sea of pure groundwater which is the main source of water for drinking and irrigation in this part of the country and a vital factor for supporting ecosystems.
The petition is addressed to the National Assembly, all political groups in the European Parliament, the Bulgarian MEPs and European Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius, among other political factors.
Shale gas: pros and cons
The Ukraine war may have added a new dimension to the shale gas question in Bulgaria and elsewhere, but the dispute has a relatively long history and has been centred around environmental considerations rather than market developments.
Describing the hazards associated with shale gas development, Wikipedia says that drilling depths of 1,000 to 3,000 m, then injection of a fluid composed of water, sand and detergents under pressure (600 bar), are required to fracture the rock at the site and release the gas. (It is the fracturing technology that critics find most disturbing as they fear seismic and other major risks.) Besides that, Wikipedia says, such operations cause groundwater contamination, mainly as a result of hydrocarbon leakage. Each gas farm would occupy an average area of 3.6 hectares, which is why exploitation of shale gas could lead to fragmentation of landscapes. Finally, a borehole requires about 20 million litres of water, the daily consumption of about 100,000 inhabitants.
This, however, has not stopped the United States from carrying out its “Shale Revolution” that enabled the world’s largest economy to significantly increase its production of oil and gas, according to the Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law.
The European Commission’s REPowerEU plan, tabled on May 18, 2022, puts forward a range of measures to diversify gas supplies. But when it comes to alternative energy sources, it does not mention shale gas, focusing instead on solar and offshore wind energy, heat pumps and renewable hydrogen, Euractive says in the above-mentioned analysis on Romania, dated June 21, 2022.
Tomasz Maj, a representative of a Polish oil and gas company, is quoted on the European Parliament website as arguing in favour of shale gas exploitation. While admitting that gas leakage into drinking water is a valid concern, Maj attributes it to careless drilling. He notes that in Poland 85% of the flow-back water is recycled.
The argument of environmental protection is sometimes easy to misuse, but it can also be as compelling as arguments get. The wheat farmers of Southern Dobrudzha have made their point. It is now up to the authorities to make amends – or not.
GNA
Credit: BTA