Shale gas | Gaz de schiste
Shale gas
48 Shale basins in 38 countries, as per the EIA Shale gas is natural gas that is found trapped within shale formations. [ 1 ] Shale gas has become an increasingly important source of natural gas in the United States since the start of this century, and interest has spread to potential gas shales in the rest of the world. In 2000 shale gas provided only 1% of U.S. natural gas production; by 2010 it was over 20% and the U.S. government's Energy Information Administration predicts that by 2035, 46% of the United States' natural gas supply will come from shale gas. [ 2 ] Some analysts expect that shale gas will greatly expand worldwide energy supply. [ 3 ] China is estimated to have the world's largest shale gas reserves. [ 4 ] A study by the Baker Institute of Public Policy at Rice University concluded that increased shale gas production in the US and Canada could help prevent Russia and Persian Gulf countries from dictating higher prices for the gas they export to European countries. [ 5 ]
Gaz de schiste
Un article de Wikipédia, l'encyclopédie libre. 48 grands bassins de gaz de schiste dans 38 pays étudiés par l' EIA . Le gaz de schiste , également appelé gaz de roche-mère ou gaz de shale (en anglais shale gas ), est un gaz naturel contenu dans des roches marneuses ou argileuses riches en matières organiques , roches qui peuvent avoir une structure litée de schiste [ 1 ] . Ce gaz naturel , qui peut faire l'objet d'une exploitation, a pour particularité d'être resté piégé dans les porosités de la roche imperméable où il s'est formé.Fracking is an energy- and resource-intensive process. Every shale-gas well that is fracked requires between three and eight million gallons of water. Fleets of trucks have to make hundreds of trips to carry the fracking fluid to and from each well site. Due in part to spotty state laws and an absence of federal regulation, the safety record that hydraulic fracturing has amassed to date is deeply disturbing.
[06-2010] A Colossal Fracking Mess | Business
[02-2011] Regulation Lax as Gas Wells’ Tainted Water Hits Rivers
Kevin Moloney for The New York Times Wells for extracting natural gas, like these in Colorado, are a growing source of energy but can also pose hazards. The gas has always been there, of course, trapped deep underground in countless tiny bubbles, like frozen spills of seltzer water between thin layers of shale rock. But drilling companies have only in recent years developed techniques to unlock the enormous reserves, thought to be enough to supply the country with gas for heating buildings, generating electricity and powering vehicles for up to a hundred years. So energy companies are clamoring to drill. And they are getting rare support from their usual sparring partners.
Le "WikiLeaks" des gaz de schiste sur la radioactivité
La gigantesque enquête sur les gaz de schiste publiée par le New York Times est une nouvelle bombe lancée sur cette technique d’extraction contre laquelle la mobilisation grandit en France . Non seulement les preuves d’effets sur la santé se multiplient, mais l’enquête révèle que l’eau rejetée par les puits est radioactive. Le quotidien américain a consacré de gros moyens au déchiffrage des quelque 30 000 pages de documents confidentiels provenant de l’agence américaine de protection de l’environnement, l’ EPA , et de différentes sources internes à l’industrie, qu’il s’est procurés. Une méthode « à la manière de WikiLeaks », mais avec le professionnalisme des équipes du journal, qui ont ajouté aux données brutes :
Documents: Leaked Industry E-Mails and Reports - Interactive Feature
Over the past six months, The New York Times reviewed thousands of pages of documents related to shale gas, including hundreds of industry e-mails, internal agency documents and reports by analysts. A selection of these documents is included here; names and identifying information have been redacted to protect the confidentiality of sources, many of whom were not authorized by their employers to communicate with The Times. <p style="text-align:right;color:#A8A8A8"></p>
La rumeur dans le milieu des indépendants est que les grandes zones d’extraction des gaz de schiste ne sont qu’une énorme pyramide de Ponzi et que le modèle économique ne marche tout simplement pas. Ce jugement sans appel n’est pas celui d’un militant écologiste : en bas de ce mail révélé par le New York Times figure la signature du très sérieux cabinet IHS Drilling Data , expert en énergie. Au total, ce sont des centaines de communications internes au secteur de l’énergie que le quotidien américain a publié le 27 juin 2011.
