GTI & GFZ Collaborate to Address the Environmental Impact of Unconventional Gas E&P Activities in Europe

Gas Technology Institute (GTI) and the GFZ German Research Centre forGeosciences have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to launchthe Sustainable Operating Practices Initiative for EuropeanUnconventional Gas. Through this initiative, GTI and GFZ will develop and execute projects targeted to address the environmental impact of unconventional gas exploration and production (E&P) activities in Europe.

Guy Lewis, managing director of unconventional gas at GTI, noted, “Considerable growth potential for unconventional gas development beyond North America has been identified, but for it to be developed successfully, it must be environmentally and economically sustainable.”

“There are stakeholder concerns to be addressed in Europe and elsewhere, including impact on drinking water supplies and quality, air quality, noise, truck traffic and surface disturbance. The general public and policymakers need comprehensive and transparent information on the benefits and risks associated with these resources.”

Added Brian Horsfield, research director of the gas shales in Europe (GASH) consortium and research department director at GFZ, “Unconventional gas research must include identification and deployment of sustainable field operating practices, safety standards, and environmental assurance. As a result, GTI and GFZ see the potential for significant opportunities in providing technical, training, demonstration, and outreach support to the stakeholders and industry.

GTI is a leading independent research, development and training organization. For 70 years, GTI has solved important energy and environmental challenges by developing technology-based solutions that create value for consumers, government and industry. GTI has been collaborating with, academia, government, and industry to identify, develop and deploy solutions for converting the potential of unconventional gas resources into reality for more than 20 years. GTI’s primary focus in this regard today is in reducing environmental footprint and the cost of unconventional gas E&P.

The GFZ is the national research center for earth sciences in Germany, working in all the disciplines from geodesy to geoengineering, as well as in the associated natural and engineering topics. As a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, GFZ studies System Earth and its characteristics, as well as the processes that occur on its surface and within its interior. They also investigate the many interactions that exist between the various parts of the system, the geosphere, the hydrosphere, the atmosphere and finally the biosphere. The long-term aim of GFZ is to understand the highly complex, non-linear systems of the earth and its interactive natural subsystems to comprehend the extent of global change and its regional effects and to evaluate the influence of human activity on the earth. The vision is to preserve earth’s natural resources in a broad sense when developing shale gas.