Chevron Starts Shale Gas Drilling in Romania

Five months after starting work on its drill, the US oil and gas company Chevron on Tuesday announced the start of actual exploration activities in Pungesti, eastern Romania.

“Drilling activities have commenced at the exploration well site. The drilling rig is expected to run until the well reaches a target depth of approximately 4,000 metres,” the company said.

Chevron expects to search for shale gas for three to five years.

The company has obtained permits to explore for shale gas in northeastern Romania as well as on Romania’s Black Sea coast.

Chevron has suspended twice its search for shale gas deposits in Pungesti following protests both locally and in the capital, Bucharest, against fracking.

Activists have voiced fears that fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, the drilling technique used to obtain natural gas deposits from shale, could pollute air or water supplies.

Protesters are also angry with the government of Prime Minister Victor Ponta, who switched position on the matter since taking power three years ago. Initially he opposed shale-gas exploitation.

Chevron has tried to calm environmental fears, saying that its technology is safe.

After preliminary exploration in eastern Romania, it may extend operations to the southeastern county of Constanta.

Romanian officials, including Prime Minister Ponta, have said on numerous occasions that shale gas will allow Romania to cut its dependency on expensive gas imports from Russia.