Fracking: an Option for Germany? Opportunities, Risks and Uncertainties with Fracking in Unconventional Deposits

The fracking ban imposed by the German parliament in 2016 seemed to put an end to debate on what was a controversial subject. To this day, no fracking in unconventional deposits takes place in Germany. Sparked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, debate on this subject has reopened. Is fracking an option for Germany? Could or should domestically produced natural gas go some way towards making up for Russian gas supplies, which have stopped? Can it contribute to security of supply in Germany and pave the way towards climate neutrality? And how do the risks and benefits of the use of this technology, which the public finds highly contentious, stack up?

In this paper, the Academies project Energy Systems of the Future (ESYS) gives an overview of the opportunities, risks and uncertainties of fracking in unconventional deposits.

The analysis focuses on answering the following questions:

• What is fracking and where it is used?
• How great is the potential of fracking in Germany?
• What environmental risks are involved in fracking?
• How could fracking affect climate protection?
• When could fracking be used in Germany?
• Could fracking contribute to security of supply in Germany?
• Are there viable business models for fracking in Germany?

The publication shows that fracking in unconventional deposits entails opportunities, risks and uncertainties that must be carefully weighed up.

To the press release (in German)

Gierds, Jörn/Stephanos, Cyril/Erlach, Berit/Fischedick, Manfred/Henning, Hans-Martin/Matthies, Ellen/Pittel, Karen/Renn, Jürgen/Sauer, Dirk Uwe/Spiecker genannt Döhmann, Indra: „Fracking: eine Option für Deutschland? Chancen, Risiken und Ungewissheiten beim Fracking in nicht konventionellen Lagerstätten (Impuls)“, Akademienprojekt „Energiesysteme der Zukunft“ (ESYS), 2023.