The Bulgarian Mining Association wants the shale gas moratorium in the country lifted, or at least the part about banning research in the area, Standart daily reports.
The request of the industry is directed towards the interim government and the Ministry of Economy and Energy.
By dropping the ban on shale gas exploration in Bulgaria, it would be easier to clarify the risks and also the potential for diversification of gas supplies via shale gas, the miners say.
In parallel, the state should establish regulations very carefully in cooperation with non-governmental environmental organizations, as most of them are of questionable legitimacy, the Association noted.
Despite its hprrific environmental impacts, bringing back shale gas on Bulgaria's agenda is an often re-emerging debate, given the dire situation of the country's mining industry.
The exploration of shale gas in Bulgaria could boost investment and create 300,000 new jobs, prof. Nikolai Vulkanov stated on the "Geology and carbon potential of the Balkan - Black Sea Region" conference, as Standart reported in September 2013.
With USD 120 per ton, shale gas extracted in Bulgaria would be 3-4 times cheaper than the current USD 500/ton exports from Russia, Vulkanov noted.
Institute for Market Economics in Bulgaria recently released a forecast report estimating social and economic impacts for various shale gas production scenarios. The most conservative of these would introduce more than 25,000 new jobs to Bulgaria's economy, with as many as 39,000 jobs predicted if full production potential is realized, we reported this July.
Natural gas meets roughly 13% of Bulgaria's current energy demand, but only 10% of its natural gas is produced domestically. By expanding to shale production, the IME report makes clear Bulgaria could significantly improve its domestic energy landscape and reduce unemployment.
According to the report, shale gas production in Bulgaria would accelerate the annual average economic growth rate by 0.6 %, or EUR 238.4 million per year and would increasing the GDP by 20% in the long term.
In the meanwhile, U.S. oil company Chevron is withdrawing from Bulgaria. Chevron has not been active in Bulgaria for several years. In 2011 the company received a permit to extract shale gas in northeastern Bulgaria, but then a moratorium was imposed on activities using fracking for gas extraction in Bulgaria.