Romanian Leader Hints at Shale Decisions for Chevron

Romania's negotiations with Chevron Corporation on the exploration and production of shale gas will be an “area of interest” for the country’s future government, the prime minister-designate,Victor Ponta, has said.

Ponta wants Romanian companies to be competitive when facing their counterparts in Poland, a country which has already started exploitation of shale gas to lower energy costs, he said in an interview with Realitatea TV, a Bucharest-based private television station.

Russian producer and provider Gazprom will be disadvantaged should Romania start using shale gas, Ponta added.

Earlier this year Reuters reported on some opposition to shale gas development in the eastern European country. Chevron, which started looking for shale gas in Romania in 2011, was awarded licences to explore for gas in three locations this year, with a total area of 2,700 square kilometres.

See earlier story: Romanian election heralds hard choices on shale gas