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Tunisia, which shale gas reserves amount according to preliminary estimates to 650 billion m3, surely intends to use these resources provided it adopts an appropriate legislative framework in this area, Director General of Energy at the Ministry of Energy and Mining Ridha Bouzouada said Tuesday.
This framework, which will be ready in 2017, should take into account the training of Tunisian managers, especially as the operation of shale gas differs from that of conventional hydrocarbons, he indicated on the sidelines of a press conference on the publishing of hydrocarbon exploration and production agreements in Tunisia.
He noted that shale gas reserves will meet domestic consumption in conventional energy which will help reduce energy dependence and achieve the country's self-sufficiency in this area.
Exploration and exploitation of shale gas in Tunisia is strongly contested in the country. In 2012, environmental activists launched a campaign against the operation of these resources in light of their impact on the environment and on health. They would be the cause of over-exploitation and pollution of water resources and the spread of cancer, according to activists.
© Tunis-Afrique Presse 2016
