Poland adopted a legislative framework shale gas

On Friday 25 July the Polish Sejm adopted the draft law on the taxation of shale gas. Earlier in June, a law was passed on the geology, which simplifies the issuing of licenses for companies engaged in the search for shale gas. According to the Government of the Republic, the new laws will bring the start of gas production. 

 

According to the accepted bills on Friday, companies that intend to extract shale gas in Poland, will be subject to a special tax from 2020. This is the so-called resource rent, which will be about 40 percent of the profits from the production of gas. The law provides that payment for exploitation of deposits to the budget of communes, districts, provinces and the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, will grow from 6 to 24 zloty PLN per thousand cubic meters in the case of gas and 36 PLN to 50 PLN per tonne the case of oil. 

 

Although, on the one hand, manufacturers emphasize that the adoption of the law crowns the long legislative process and creates more transparency for investment, on the other hand, criticized the imposition of taxes. Chairman of the largest gas company PGNiG Mariusz Zawisza back in June said that after the change in the taxation of hydrocarbon production, corporate profits may be reduced by 1.2 billion zlotys per year. "There was a change in the geological and mining laws. What concerns us directly, it is a fourfold increase in performance fees. Here you can add a special law on tax on hydrocarbons. Everything points to the fact that our contributions to the budget will grow! "- Zawisza said. 

 

"The law provides for new taxes, and this, together with other disbursements, increased earlier, is likely to complicate the tax system, making it difficult to companies doing business in Poland" - said Martin Zenba, General Director of the Polish exploration and mining industry. 

 

To date, according to the Deputy Minister of the Environment Brodzinskogo Slawomir, Poland has made ​​64 test drilling. It's not much, considering the fact that in the United States goes to the expense of hundreds of wells. This year is planned to drill more wells around 20. 

 

Intelligence work in Poland continued, and, according to some experts, this year may prove to be crucial for the Polish shale gas. Drilling, which will hold in the meantime, will answer the question of whether commercial gas production. "I believe that the next two years will be crucial for the development of shale gas in Poland. If drilling this year gives a negative result, the project will begin to subside as diverse investors will be increasingly difficult to find funds to continue the search. If exploration results are positive, the search will accelerate the contrary, "- says Pavel recovered, expert at the Institute for Energy Studies. 

 

Interregional Environmental NGO "Green Front", which is in Poland Aleksey Kovtun, expresses concern over plans to start commercial production of shale gas on the border with Russia about the Kaliningrad region. 

 

"The technology of hydraulic fracturing is potentially dangerous to the environment. Almost certainly hurt the quality of groundwater. Certainly used in the production of chemicals with groundwater and rivers and contribute to the pollution of the Baltic Sea. We very much hope that the Polish authorities and potential investors reorient to the use of other sources of energy, "- said Oleg Ivanov, chairman of the regional branch of the environmental organization in the Kaliningrad region. 

 

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