Polish media: Ukraine wants to create an ecological catastrophe near our borders
A number of Polish media outlets today published alarming comments regarding Ukraine's plans to develop shale gas deposits near Lviv, close to the border with Poland, which threatens negative consequences.
Such plans were announced by Ukrainian officials at an energy forum in Baku and reported by the British Telegraph, but the Poles fear that the development of the fields poses a threat to the environment , reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“The Ukrainians’ plan raises concerns,” the O2 portal points out.
"Ukraine wants to become the main supplier of shale gas for Europe and plans to extract it near the Polish border... The most promising deposits are in the Olessk region, east of Lviv, where the volume of shale gas is estimated at 0,8 - 1,5 trillion cubic meters. This one deposit will be able to satisfy Ukraine's domestic needs for decades," Gazeta.Pl writes about the plans of the Ukrainian authorities.
The publication cites the opinion of Professor Krzysztof Szamalek, director of the Polish State Geological Institute.
"The deposits can be exploited by hydraulic fracturing, which will increase the efficiency of the wells... However, environmentalists point out the huge amount of water needed for this. Drilling wells in Olesko will require as much water as the population of 235 thousand people – residents of Ivano-Frankivsk – consumes in three years. And after use, the water becomes toxic and remains in the soil in this form, which leads to its pollution," the publication says.
Polish media: Ukraine wants to create an environmental disaster near our borders.