Fracking: an option for Germany? Opportunities, risks and uncertainties of fracking in non-conventional reservoirs

Abstract:

The ban on fracking by the German Bundestag in 2016 seemed to end the debate on a hotly debated topic. To this day, no fracking in non-conventional reservoirs takes place in Germany. However, against the backdrop of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, this discussion is currently experiencing a renaissance. Is fracking an option for Germany? Could or should domestically produced natural gas partially replace the lack of Russian gas supplies? Can it contribute to security of supply in Germany and be a paving stone on the path towards climate neutrality? And what would be the relationship between the risks and benefits of using this highly controversial technology?

In this impulse, the academy project Energy Systems of the Future (ESYS) provides an overview of the opportunities, risks and uncertainties of fracking in non-conventional reservoirs.