Global shale development threatened by water availability, says WRI
By Kasia Patel
Published: Friday, 05 September 2014
The WRI report outlines that of the top 20 countries with large shale gas and tight oil resources, 40% already face water challenges, which could hinder the development of these resources owing to the water intensive technology required to extract them. The oil and gas industry is an end market for minerals such as silica (frac) sand, bentonite and barite (barytes), so any hindrance will affect these markets.
Water availability could limit shale resource development on
every continent except Antarctica, according to a new report by
the World Resources Institute (WRI).
In its report, Global Shale Gas Development:...