Oil major Chevron abandoned its shale gas project in Romania due to economic reasons, said the US ambassador to Romania, Hans Klemm.
The company had started searching for shale gas in Romania back in 2013, but exited the country two years later after completing some initial exploration activities. Chevron had secured concessions in eastern and southeastern Romania to look for shale gas, but the company faced a series of protests from environmental groups and people who lived in those areas. The protesters had warned that the extraction of gas from shale generated serious risks for the environment.
“Just when Chevron was closing its operations in Romania, in 2015, I was arriving here as ambassador. What they told me at that time was that the economic situation did not allow the continuation of the exploration plans for shale gas. So, it was an economic decision. At this moment, I am not aware of any company interested in the exploration of shale gas in Romania,” said Klemm.
Chevron decision to quit searching Romania’s shale fields came after abandoning Polish and Ukrainian prospects in 2014.