Oil and Gas Eurasia has recently published significant findings from the Polish Geological Institute that could very well shake up the geopolitical debate on shale energy and environmental degradation. According to the report, shale gas mining will not damage the water supply or increase carbon emissions.

The Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily added that it has seen the report prepared for the Ministry of Environment which concludes that apart from the noise from drilling, ‘fracking‘ shale gas in Poland will not have negative environmental consequences.

Experts studied the environmental impact of the ‘fracking process’ performed in 2011 on one of the boreholes in the village ?ebie? in Pomerania, northern Poland.

From 2014, Warsaw wants to tap an estimated 5.3 trillion cubic meters of shale gas reserves. According to the US Energy Information Administration, Poland is sitting on more than 300 years of its domestic energy needs.

Poland looks to break its reliance on Russian energy and potentially reduce Moscow’s overall ‘power’ over Europe. That is one reason why Warsaw has welcomed U.S. oil majors such as Chevron, ExxonMobil, Conoco and Marathon, even though it risks igniting tensions with Russia.

Nonetheless, environmentalists and researchers at Cornell University have raised the alarm that the fracking process of retrieving the energy supply could increase greenhouse has emissions. France has already banned the process.

A poll taken in late 2011 found however that 73 percent of Poles backed developing shale gas mining.

In an interview with the Moscow Times, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Beata Stelmach said the next step is to enact legislation needed to attract investors and give them assurances that they will see returns for exploration that can cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

“If we move to the production level, then Poland’s international position can change from a gas importer, to producer, or maybe eventually even exporter,” Stelmach said. “This changes not only the domestic situation by improving energy security, but also strengthens the competitiveness of our country“.