The abundance in recent years of US shale gas has sparked enormous interest from the oil and gas industry into different shale regions around the world, where exploration is currently underway to find out if, and where, shale gas will be as productive as it is in North America. There is now a long list of companies who are looking to spend millions of $ in the search for shale gas deposits in locations like Poland, The Netherlands, France & Turkey. Many analysts are confident that Poland has the most significant shale gas deposits and the potential to become one of the greatest exporters of shale gas to Europe. To fully exploit these shale gas resources requires an integrated approach to utilization of the leading edge technologies, starting with geology, through completions and engineering, and then regular operations; to get as much gas out of the ground, in the most cost-optimized way.

Organized under the auspices of the Polish Geological Institute, the Global Shale Gas Summit (July 19-20, 2010, Warsaw, Poland) is set to become the most significant shale gas event of the year, by providing a truly holistic picture of the enablers for international shale gas expansion, and with delegates attending from all over the world - from the oil and gas majors, key independent shale gas operators, government and regulators, geological surveys and service and technology providers. As one of the hottest geographical areas so far identified for exploring the potential for shale gas as a cost-competitive resource, Warsaw is the ideal venue for this major Summit, enabling the global shale gas industry to meet with the key government and industry players in Poland. Having seen the drastic impact of shale gas on both the North American and global energy balance, now is a critical time to assess the realistic prospects and genuine business opportunities for shale gas production worldwide, by addressing the geological data and the commercial feasibility of shale gas technology when applied to other regions.

Without yet having conclusive data from shale gas drilling in Europe or elsewhere in the world, the industry nevertheless needs clarity on how and where shale gas is likely to be a commercially viable resource.  Moreover, outlining what data is available and what data is still needed to predict the future productivity of shales, compared to the three biggest shale plays in the US will be critical. The Summit will feature a series of detailed panels given by senior geologists from different regions of the world. Combined with governments talking about how regulatory and land use issues will affect the commerciality of shale gas in these regions, this will help companies to define how they can gain entry and move forward in different regions. Having delved into the geological data by region, countries need to find out exactly how the capital and energy-intensive exploration, drilling, completion and production processes can be optimized to make shale gas commercially-viable.

Leading service companies in the field will deliver innovative tools & techniques for throughout the exploration and production processes of shale gas, including cost-optimization of drilling and completion. This is also a chance to discuss how service companies envisage supplying demand for shale gas in the future and the cost implications of ramping up supply chain capabilities in new regions.

Opening the floor for a discussion on the application of North American technologies globally, breakfast briefings from independent US shale gas experts will bring newcomers up-to-speed on the economics, mechanics, and challenges of horizontal drilling and the use of the hydraulic fracturing technique.

The Need For Shale Gas: Why This Event Comes At A Crucial Time For The Global Industry

With US technical innovations allowing gas to be extracted in different shales across North America from previously impenetrable reserves, shale gas has never been a more important issue for the global oil and gas industry and those in charge of securing future gas supply. At this summit the industry will learn from US experiences, identify the challenges of expanding cost-competitive shale gas production worldwide, in terms of strategies and technology, and overcome regulatory and environmental barriers to bring this new resource to market at this crucial time, to meet the growing demands of gas consumers.

Follow this link to visit the website for the Global Shale Gas Summit