France's constitutional court Friday ruled that a law banning hydraulic fracturing to extract shale gas was in line with the country's constitutional law, after a legal challenge by Texan energy company Schuepbach Energy LLC.
France
's constitutional court Friday ruled that a law banning hydraulic
fracturing to extract shale gas was in line with the country's constitutional
law, after a legal challenge by Texan energy company Schuepbach Energy LLC.
The French constitutional court Friday rejected the arguments raised by
Schuepbach Energy, which had sought to explore potential shale gas reserves in
the
Paris
region, that the ban was against entrepreneurship, freedom and
ownership.
The court ruled the law was constitutional as it seeks to preserve the
environment, referring to the precautionary principle that requires proof that
an action doesn't cause harm in the absence of scientific consensus about the
risks.
The move underscores the precedence of environmental concerns over economic
considerations or lower energy prices, in
France
.
According to industry estimates,
France
could harbor
Europe
's largest shale gas reserves. In 2011, however, the government banned
hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, -- where water, sand and chemicals are
injected at high pressure into shale rock to release gas -- due to fears water
tables could be polluted.
The ban was a setback for several companies such as Total SA (TOT) and GDF Suez
SA (GSZ.FR) that had already obtained licenses to explore some fields.
The energy industry in
Europe
had fiercely criticized the move as gas prices in the region remain
high, while the shale gas revolution in the
U.S.
has granted companies there a substantial competitive edge.
In a reaction to the latest court verdict, GDF Suez Chairman and Chief
Executive Gerard Mestrallet said: "So in fact nothing has changed. We'll
continue to work on shale elsewhere, in
Poland
, in the
U.K.
, in
China
, and we'll do nothing in
France
," He was speaking on the sidelines of a conference in
Brussels
.
"Who am I to comment (on) the decision of
France
's constitutional court? But I nevertheless have a question now: how can
Europe
go on with gas prices which are three times higher than that in the
U.S.
?"
Italy
's ENI SpA (E)Chairman and CEO Paolo Scaroni said, at the same
conference. "Shale gas could be part of the solution," he added.
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