Socialists Call for Moratorium on Shale Gas Prospecting in Bulgaria

The Socialists' Coalition for Bulgaria
group in Parliament called Friday for imposing a memorandum on
shale gas prospecting in Bulgaria until an independent survey is
done by Bulgarian experts - or else they will start a campaign
towards local referendums on the issue. This emerged in the
parliamentary corridors from remarks by Socialist MPs.

"If it is true what they say, a time limit for signing a shale
gas prospecting memorandum with Chevron of the US expires today
after Chevron won a competition to prospect and extract shale
gas in Bulgaria," said MP Georgi Bozhinov.

In late May, Bulgarian Economy, Energy and Tourism Minister
Traicho Traikov told the press that a shale gas prospecting and
extraction contract for the Novi Pazar deposit that might be
signed with the Chevron Corporation is expected to generate 30
million euro in budget revenue. The tender documents provide for
a minimum bonus of 200,000 euro if a prospecting permit is
granted.

Bids for two other shale gas deposits can be submitted until the
end of June. The companies which have expressed intentions to
enter the prospecting and extraction bidding procedure estimate
the shale gas reserves at between 300 billion and 1 trillion
cubic metres, according to Traikov.

MP Bozhinov said he has talked to Bulgarian scientists who told
him that both the extraction and prospecting for shale gas are
hazardous as they use toxines which contaminate the underground
water and could even indice an earthquake. This is the reason
shale prospecting in the US is done only on land with no life,
which is in the deserts, said this MP.

"The situation in Bulgaria is unique because above the shale gas
which is presumably down there on a quarter of the national
territory, we have this country's biggest underground
fresh-water basin. It is in the same water cycle with all
surface water, including the drinking water of Razgrad,
Turgovishte, Novi Pazar, Shoumen, Dobrich, Albena and Varna,"
said Bozhinov.

His Socialist for Bulgaria group colleague Yanaki Stoilov was
adamant that an expert analysis should be done before any
prospecting starts. Said MP Peter Dimitrov, "I wouldn't want to
sell the future of our people for 30 million dollars".

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