Global energy giant Royal Dutch Shell launched a free hotline on Aug. 28 to address any concerns Ukrainians might have about the company’s intent to extract shale gas in eastern Ukraine.
The
company won a tender in 2012 and signed a product sharing agreement
with the Ukrainian government this year to operate in the Yuzivska
field in Donetsk and Kharkiv region, but drilling is yet to start.
The
Yuzivska field and the Oleksa field in western Ukraine are believed
to have Europe’s fourth largest shale gas reserves with a combined
estimate of 1.2 trillion cubic meters, according to the U.S. Energy
Information Administration. Ukraine’s own estimates are much higher.
In its statement, Shell said that the new hotline “is another step in our policy of good neighborliness and open dialog
between Shell and the interested citizens, particularly the residents
of Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, which are part of the Yuzivska
field.”
The
hotline’s number is (044)
205-00-15, and
calls via landlines are free in Ukraine.
Operators
of the hotline will be able to inform the public about the general
activity of the company, the particulars of its operation in the
Yuzivska field, ecological and safety issues, as well as its ongoing
work with local communities.
Shell
is currently extracting natural gas in Kharkiv Oblast in a joint
project with state-owned Ukrgazvydobyvannya and is preparing to
develop gas from tight sandstone in the Yuzivska field.
The
technology used for extracting gas from shale and tight sandstone,
called hydraulic
fracturing or
fracking, when water and chemicals are pumped underground to release
gas, has raised concerns among Ukrainian residents and some political
groups.
Last
week, a regional council in western Ukraine vetoed a product sharing
agreement with Chevron, another global energy giant, for
environmental and other reasons. Chevron won a tender to develop shale gas in the
Oleska field in Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv region. Approval from local
councils are an essential step before the company can start operation
on the ground.
Shell
received a go-ahead from the Kharkiv and Donetsk councils in January,
but the procedure for the approval is currently being challenged in
court.
Shell
is also a party in an international consortium led by ExxonMobil that
won a tender a year ago to extract gas in offshore Skifska field in
the Black Sea. The consortium is also yet to sign a product sharing
agreement with the government to start the operation.
Kyiv Post editor
Katya Gorchinskaya can be reached at gorchinskaya@kyivpost.com.
