ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has discovered a new gas reserve in southern Sindh province that would help reduce acute gas shortages for industry and transport, the petroleum ministry said Friday.
New gas reserves discovered in southern Pakistan - thenews.com.pk
We have untapped resources in abundance in Pakistan but unfortunately Pakistan is located in a middle of a Zoo and the government spends most of their money on Military and not on infrastructure or exploration of Resources..
Shale gas is in a different league altogether. You cannot compare the two. Let's amplify this a bit. How is shale gas extracted?
Like conventional gas, extraction is via a well. But that's where the similarity ends. This is drilled vertically above the shale, after which the drill is steered until it is horizontal and drilling continues. This is because the reservoirs are wider than they are tall, so horizontal drilling accesses more of the reserve.
To allow the gas to flow,
fractures have to be created in the rock. This is done by hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Fluid (approximately 99-99.5% water and sand, and 0.5-1% chemicals) is injected down the well and into the shale rocks at high pressure.
The sand props open the new fractures allowing the gas to flow into the well and be collected at the surface.
Saudi Arabia's aspiration for a US-style gas bonanza must confront three key scarcities —
water, shale gas expertise and pipelines — before it can become a reality. You must remember that the US shale bonanza
has been more than three decades in the making! And that's a lot of lead time.
In addition,
America has thousands of kilometres of gas pipelines and receiving points, its geological survey records are extensive, its exploration companies have pioneered the key techniques of horizontal drilling and fracking, its rig crews are the best in the business and have good access to water for fracking, and there is a strong service sector covering finance, distribution, processing and marketing to support the industry. Even so, the industry has had to contend with vigorous opposition from environmental and farming groups concerned over water and land usage.
So It's not enough just to have shale deposits. The infrastructure and expertise required for extraction and distribution is mind boggling!
There are risks involved and these have recently been assessed in a report for the European Commission, which assessed the cumulative impact of fracking at several sites as having a high risk of causing local environmental problems including groundwater contamination, surface water contamination, water resource use and air pollution.
The volume of water used for each frack varies depending on the location and the geology. In the US, water used has varied from 9,000 to 29,000 cubic metres (9–29 million litres or between 2 and 6.4 million gallons).
Fracking waste water may also contain substances from deep underground such as strontium, benzene, toluene and Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) such as Radium 226.
Fracking for shale gas has also been linked to
increased levels of air pollution and associated health problems. Air pollution was identified as a ‘high risk’ by the European Commission study mentioned above.
Considering the above, all does not seem well for the shale industry except North America due to reasons brought out above. But what does the world think about shale extraction? Encouraged by developments over the last decade in the US, the shale gas industry is looking to expand across the world, with Europe, South Africa, India and China being prime focal points.
In most of these places, the industry is facing stiff opposition. Below is a snapshot of the current state of play in some key countries:
In Western Europe, the parliament in France has passed a law banning fracking, despite the potential for considerable reserves. Public opposition is growing in Spain, with the Cantabria region coming out against fracking. In Germany, the federal government is reported to be concerned, and there is also concern in regions including North-Rhine Westphalia and Thuringia. In Holland, fracking is on hold pending further studies, expected to start this year, and opposition is strong. There is interest in fracking and a growing anti-fracking movement in Ireland and Sweden. In Eastern Europe, Poland is being targeted as a key development area, but initial results have been disappointing. Fracking was banned in Bulgaria in 2012 following widespread protests. Proposals for fracking in Romania have faced widespread protests.
In this context, seeking out new sources of fossil fuels is probably not the right direction for an energy policy. Given the inherent risks for the local environment and human health and major skepticism about its impact on energy prices, fracking for shale gas is a gamble one doesn't need to take.
