Special to WorldTribune.com

ABU DHABI — Saudi Arabia is examining the feasibility of shale
gas production.

Shale gas is produced by hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, which involves blasting water, chemicals and sand underground to free trapped hydrocarbons.

Officials said Saudi Aramco was considering methods to extricate the
estimated 645 trillion cubic feet of shale gas. They said shale exploration
would be difficult in the Gulf Cooperation Council kingdom, which is almost entirely desert.

“We need to build our knowledge and experience and mobilize resources,
and all this will take time,” Aramco southern manager Walid Al Mulhim said. “We can’t simply replicate what’s happening in the U.S., as we have different challenges.”

Addressing an energy conference in Bahrain on March 10, Saudi officials
estimated that the kingdom could require a decade to launch shale
production. They said a leading challenge would be to find water resources
to separate sand from hydrocarbons.

  645 trillion cubic feet of shale gas, but water supplies in desert are a problem, Saudi weighs fracking, Walid Al Mulhim