WARSAW, Poland, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- ConocoPhillips said it was optimistic about the shale natural gas potential in Poland but said it's too early to make any commercial production declarations.
Conoco's subsidiary in Poland, Lane Energy, told online energy news website Upstream natural gas was flowing from the Lebien 2H well but not at a rate suitable for commercial production.
The report said Conoco's development in Poland gave up approximately 300,000 cubic feet of natural gas per day during a month of testing.
The Polish government estimates it has as much as 3.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reports. Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine are among the Eastern European countries eyeing potential shale gas reserves.
Upstream reported Polish officials have visited the site to laud the shale natural gas potential in the country. Conoco told Upstream in a report published Wednesday it was "committed to completing its concession work obligations and will be drilling two or more wells through 2014."
Critics of hydraulic fracturing, known also as fracking, have expressed concerns over environmental issues ranging from groundwater contamination to land reclamation.
