Shale gas fracking 'does not cause earthquakes'

“It has been argued that hydraulic fracturing causes earthquakes. So we decided to check this out,” deputy environment minister and Poland's leading geologist Henryk Jezierski said, Monday.

“We have seen during tests in Pomerania [northern Poland] that this does not cause seismic events,” he told journalists.

Environmentalists have claimed that 'fracking', the process where gas is extracted by blasting rock with chemicals, causes damage to nature and possible harm to human health.

Minister Jazierski said yesterday that before the end of the year a special monitoring programme is to be introduced, dealing with all environmental aspects of shale gas prospecting.

The project is to be the largest of its kind conducted in Europe.

Poland has issued 101 licences so far for shale gas prospecting, attracting some of the world’s largest companies such as Chevron and Exxon.

The shale gas have been seen as a great chance for Poland, enabling this country to cease its reliance on Russia for its natural gas supply. (pg)