Poland to become another Qatar?

“Poland lies on gas”, boasts Gazeta Wyborcza after the US Energy Information Agency (EIA) published its report on shale gas reserves in 32 countries of the world. With an estimated 5.3 trillion cubic meters of shale gas recoverable reserves worth some US$2 trillion (€1.38tn) at current prices, Poland is the undisputed leader in Europe. According to EIA estimates, the Polish reserves may last for up to 380 years, unless current gas consumption rises dramatically. What’s more, chances for extracting shale gas in Poland are high – the EIA report puts it at 40%. In 2010, Warsaw signed an agreement with Washington and joined the US sponsored project - Global Shale Gas Initiative. It has also granted 85 licenses to search for shale gas to several companies. However, shale gas extraction stirs fear among environmentalists. “They claim that it destroys the landscape and poisons water,” notes the Warsaw daily.