Shale Gas Research for Europe

Several projects initiated and coordinated by the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam ‐ GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences focus on shale gas and may serve as entry points for the understanding of general features for efficient shale-gas production, not only in Europe. The integrated research on European shale gas started by launching the prominent Gas Shales in Europe project (GASH) in 2009 and slightly earlier in 2008 the GeoEnergie project (GeoEn). The Herald Tribune declared in August 2008 “Europe starting search for shale gas”. New on the agenda is the ESOP initiative (European Sustainable Operating Practices) which addresses environmental concerns.