Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 08/2010

Shale Fever: Replicating the US gas revolution in the EU?

Roderick KefferpĆ¼tz

June 2010

Centre for European Policy Studies

Abstract

The enthusiasm for shale gas is now spreading beyond the borders of the United States, entering national discourses in the European Union where it is seen to provide energy independence and jobs, as well as cheaper and more environmentally-friendly fuel. This paper provides a balanced and concise overview of the development of and concerns surrounding shale gas in the United States, and explores the extent to which this success story could be replicated in the European Union. Roderick Kefferpütz is an Associate Research Fellow at CEPS and a Brussels-based political advisor specialising in Eurasian energy and foreign affairs