Introduction.- Shale gas: History of Development.- The Evaluation of the World Potential of Shale Gas Reserves.- Shale Gas Production in the USA.- Shale Gas in Europe: Reserves, Production and Perspectives.- European policy and “Shale Revolution”.- Shale Gas Production in Germany: Ecology and Political Aspects.- Shale Gas Production in Poland.- Potential environmental impacts of hydrofraccing related to exploration of unconventional hydrocarbons in Hungary.- An Overview of Unconventional Resources of Romania and the pending shale gas challenges.- Shale gas potential of Bulgaria.- Shale Gas Production in Moldova: Achievements and Potential.- Role of Shale Gas in the Energy Policy of Ukraine.- Shale Gas in Russia: New Outlines of the Energy Policy.- Evaluation of the Shale Gas Resource Potential in Kazakhstan.- China Stakes on the Shale Gas.- The Role of Shale Gas in the Global Energy.- Shale Gas Production and Environmental Concerns.- Conclusions.
This book highlights various aspects of shale gas production and discusses the associated problems, which have greatly influenced the current situation on the global gas market. It focuses on issues such as production technologies, environmental protection, and the impacts of shale gas production on human beings. Further, it investigates the role of shale gas in the development and implementation of foreign policy of many nations that welcomed the possibility to produce this hydrocarbon in their own countries. Taking into consideration the information published by world energy research centers, the prospects of shale gas production in different regions of the world are examined in detail. Given its coverage and scope, the book will greatly benefit specialists in the areas of hydrocarbon production, international relations and foreign policy, world economics and technologies, ecology and environmental protection.