The agenda of the Forum covered a range of issues with an impact on the natural gas markets in the different countries under review. Speakers addressed, among other subjects, opportunities for the development of the unconventional gas sector, including shale gas, in the EMEA region. The impact of potential development of the European unconventional gas market on the current inter-continental models of gas supply was appraised. Legal, environmental and technical issues were also addressed.

 

The development prospects of the unconventional natural gas sector in Poland were presented by the President of the ORLEN Upstream Management Board, Wiesław Prugar. In his address Wiesław Prugar referred to Poland’s current energy balance and to the promising initial estimates of the size of the country’s unconventional gas reserves; he assessed the development of the exploration phase; and outlined ORLEN Upstream’s involvement in the work underway. The ORLEN Upstream President diagnosed the current market requirements and the direction of their future evolution. He identified the key challenges for the emerging market, such as the adequacy of legal and environmental regulations, the development of infrastructure, and the requirement for skilled personnel.