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c_m_33 t1_itt0o4x wrote

Gas is generally easy to find. Most of the sedimentary basins in China are lacustrine in nature, so they’re naturally going to have significantly more gas than many other places. It would be impressive if they actually made an oil discovery over there.

Also, discovery and development are two different things. Sinopec spent tons and tons of money in the US over the past decade and a half trying to learn how to extract hydrocarbons from shale. It takes specialized equipment and experienced personnel to make it happen. They have the know how, but they don’t have the equipment or people to produce it economically and safely (in regards to people and environment).

Oh, one more thing. China has a ton of very shallow large tectonic faults that are under stress. They have a rich history of massive earthquakes that caused severe loss of life. Hope they’re being very careful with how and where they’re drilling their wells.

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nova9001 t1_ittxa5k wrote

https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/pros-cons-shale-gas.htm

>First of all, it's 5,000 feet below ground. To get a hold of it requires pumping hydraulic fracturing (fracking) fluids, which could contain hazardous chemicals, into the ground along with water and sand at high pressures. The result is "a super-salty brine, prone to bacterial growth, and potentially contaminated with heavy metals," the National Geographic wrote in its series on shale gas.
Furthermore, the large amount of water needed to drill for shale can affect water availability for other uses, potentially impacting aquatic habitats. As a byproduct, fracking produces millions of gallons of wastewater. The amount can inundate under-equipped treatment plants. In the past, improperly treated wastewater has been found discharged into river basins, polluting the surrounding environment. The potential also exists for fracking fluids to seep into aquifers if a well casing fails, posing a risk to ground water supplies.
The negatives don't end there. Drilling can disrupt lives, including heightened noise levels aided by the transportation of materials, construction of facilities and drilling process itself; deterioration of air quality with the rise of diesel fumes; and implications of potentially destroying communities' access to clean water, including additional costs and efforts to transport and store water sourced from elsewhere.

You can't avoid the negatives with shale gas mining.

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