Myths Versus Facts on Shale Gas at WGC2012

Unconventional Gas ResourcesTransforming the World's Energy LandSCape

KUALA LUMPUR， Malaysia， April5， 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ --The shale gas revolution in the United States has been described as a gaMEchanger， especially in the light of growing climate change concerns. Thesedevelopments have sparked intense activity across the world， with many countriesin Europe， Asia， Africa and South America starting to assess their own shale gasresources.

The report， will be presented at the 25th World Gas Conference (WGC2012) in June.

However， despite predictions that shale gas， along with other unconventionalgas resources， IS transforming the world's energy landscape， it is still widelymisunderstood. Recent skepticism and misconceptions concerning the shale gasfracking process， in terms of water contamination and methane emissions haveeven led some countries such as France and South Africa， to impose a moratoriumon shale gas development.

In response to these common misconceptions， the International Gas Union (IGU)has initiated a project to publish a report on "MytHS vs FaCTS on ShaleGas，" which will attempt to educate the industry about the production anddistribution of this unconventional gas resource.

The report， will be presented at the 25th World Gas Conference (WGC2012) inJune and led by Michelle George， Union Gas' Director of Engineering Planning andSupport. It receives the support of IGU members from across the globe， and aimsto capture current facts， figures and regulatory information.

"The report aims to clear common myths and misconceptions which have led someunconventional gas developments to be put on hold，" said Mr Ho Sook Wah，Chairman， Coordination Committee 2009-2012， International Gas Union.

"As the voice of the industry， the IGU hopes that this information willprovide greater transparency and spur healthy discussions， thus furthering theEXploration and utilisation of gas across the entire value chain，" Mr Hocontinued.

Myths vs Facts: The truth unfolds.

The following are some examples of what will be covered in the report:

Myth 1: ChemicaLS used in fracking are heldsecret.

Truth: Chemicals used in shale gas exploration are clearly documentedunder a combination of local regulations and via the EU regulatory body the European Chemical Agency (ECHA).Regulatory bodies including the NationalHydraulic Fracturing Chemical Registry in the United States and across theworld are following suit in promoting 100% transparency of fracking fluid.

Myth 2: Shale uses a lot of water.

Truth: Water usage has to be benchmarked against current waterconsumption patterns - for example， the entire volume of water used at theCuadrilla Resources' well in Lancashire， UK is less than half of the water lostthrough leaking pipes in Manchester every two days.

The 18，000 cubic metres of water needed for drilling a well with a life spanof up to ten years is equal to the volume used to irrigate a three hectare cornfield in one season or an 18-hole golf course in one month.

The 25th World Gas Conference (WGC2012)， to be held 4-8 June， 2012， in KualaLumpur will bring together energy experts in a panel session to analyse theimpact of unconventional gas development and how it is changing the competitivedynamics of the globalised gas market and international politics.

Moderated by Torstein Indrebo， Secretary General of the IGU， the StrategicPanel on "Unconventional Gas: A Game Changer or a Global Bubble?"will also address barriers， risks and opportunities that will impact the futureglobal gas market

In recent years， North America has taken the lead on unprecedenteddevelopments in the natural gas industry. The region not only hoSTS the largestnatural gas markets in the world， but it is also reshaping itself and settingnew trends worldwide.

Chaired by James Tiflon of Repsol， the "Natural gas markets in NorthAmerica: what's next?" session， organized by PGCC， discusses the keymarket drivers in North America. A selected group of speakers will participatein promoting an in-depth debate on key drivers and trends for the North Americannatural gas markets. Topics of interest will include the business environment，shale gas， the role of LNG in North America and the use of natural gas intransportation， industrial plants and power generation. The session will alsoaddress emerging issues and challenges in the United States， Canada and Mexico，and their interaction with other markets around the world. Additionally， it willpresent strategic options for the development of natural gas businesses.

For further information or to register， please visit http://www.wgc2012.com. To join WGC2012 onLinkedIn， please visit http://ow.ly/73nMx.

About WGC2012

Since 1931， the International Gas Union has been organising the World GasConference once every three years; the triennial World Gas Conference andExhibition is the biggest and most important global gas industry event，attracting 5，000 industry professionals from all over the world and showcasinGThe latestdevelopments， with information on policies， strategies technologies，challenges and opportunities. The 25th World Gas Conference will take place inKuala Lumpur， Malaysia， 4-8 June 2012 with the theme "Gas: Sustaining FutureGlobal Growth."

About IGU

The International Gas Union (IGU)， founded in 1931， is a worldwide non-profitorganisation promoting the political， technical and economic progress of the gasindustry with the mission to advocate for gas as an integral part of asustainable global energy system.

IGU has more than 110 members worldwide and represents more than 95% of theworld's gas market. The members are national associations and corporations ofthe gas industry. The working organization of IGU covers the complete valuechain of the gas industry from upstream to downstream. For more informationplease visit http://www.igu.org.