Wiesław Prugar: Hydraulic fracturing operations represent very modern technology which takes into account all requirements of the environmental protection.
What is the technology of shale gas extraction all about and what is the secret that Americans know? A lot of geological operations which are necessary before drilling in order to extract the shale gas are successfully carried out by Polish companies. They include the companies which prepare the site, provide and operate drilling equipment, remove cores or provide service work. In fact the only thing that we are unable to do ourselves is the hydraulic fracturing operation. The problem is that this is the key element of the shale gas extraction process. Hydraulic fracturing, performed on unconventional deposits, is an innovative operation. So far, the equipment known to us never had such huge press force and enabled such large throughput of fracturing fluid to generate pressure for opening the fracture in the rock at a depth of few thousand meters under the ground. This process is innovative also for another reason. It is a very modern technology which takes into account all the environmental protection requirements. Is that why the allies and partners for the shale gas extraction have to be looked for in the United States? One could easily say that Americans are champions in this area and they have practically mastered it to perfection. Mostly, they stand out because of the technology advancement level, the scale on which the technology is used and two decades of experience in such type of the work. Are Polish companies unable to develop such technology themselves? Unfortunately, at present chances of that are rather thin. To possess the technology itself is not enough, it is important that the Polish companies could be competitive in this area. The strength of Americans is hidden in the years of experience which resulted not only in the advanced technology of extraction but also in the experienced staff which – using colloquial language – “drilled” through the American deposits. They also have specialised, very expensive equipment necessary for fracturing. The fact that the work on the first unconventional gas deposits took Americans 20 years and today this time was reduced to 2-4 years shows how important these elements are. In consequence, if a Polish company decided to obtain hydraulic fracturing technology on its own, it would have to spend a lot of money, produce machinery and its staff would be gaining experience in subsequent projects, on subsequent deposits, for years. Meanwhile, no exploratory and extraction company would allow itself to experiment because incorrectly performed fracturing may irrevocably prevent the exploitation of a given deposit. However, we may benefit from American experience, thanks to which the exploratory work may progress quickly which significantly reduces costs. How the co-operation with the companies which have appropriate know-how, which probably would allow to learn this innovative technology, may translate to development of the local companies engaged in explorations? Selecting appropriate partners teaches standards and model approach to the work which is carried out. Unfortunately, in the case of the hydraulic fracturing the transfer of know-how is very unlikely. At present, four largest companies are competing in this area around the world: Schlumberger, Halliburton, Baker Hughes and Weatherford. Each of them uses technology developed by itself and each gives a guarantee to perform the job in a unique manner and perfectly. Through co-operation with such companies, we will definitely obtain various information in a natural way. However, the copying of the technology is not possible today.
Source: Dziennik Gazeta Prawna Innowacyjność, page no.: 1, 2011-09-28, by: Michał Duszczyk