Denmark Suspends Fracking

Use Of Unauthorized, Dangerous Chemicals Occurs

Denmark has suspended exploratory drilling for shale gas after it discovered that the French gas-giant Total, in charge of the project, had used “unauthorized” chemicals.

A defoamer that is considered hazardous to the environment, Null Foam, was used as part of fracking to extract shale gas

The chemical is not illegal, says a Total drilling project leader who indicated he thought it could be used; however, environmental committee chairman Brandt Sorensen of Frederikshavn Council said “We will simply not accept this kind of violation of our EIA (environmental impact assessment).

Hydraulic fracturing is a process of extracting shale gas by injecting a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals under high pressure deep underground in order to release hydrocarbons from between layers of rock.

Drilling on the northern tip of Jutland had just started on Monday when the Danish Energy Agency stopped exploration the next day. The project had been initially approved despite loud protests from locals and environmentalists.