Reuters: Algeria seeks to calm protests over shale gas plans

Algeria's government sought on Wednesday to ease tensions in its southern provinces, where protests have spread against plans to extract shale gas to compensate for a drop in conventional energy production.

The politically sensitive region is home to the OPEC member state's main oil and gas fields and borders Libya, where a civil conflict is raging, and unstable areas of Mali.

Peaceful protests broke out there several weeks ago after state energy firm Sonatrach started test drilling for gas, raising concerns about the impact of the extraction process - known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking - on the environment and residents' health.

Plans for fracking, which involves pumping water and chemicals through drill holes to prise open rocks containing gas, have also prompted protests in the United States and parts of Europe over contamination fears.
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