Explotação de gás não convencional: revisão e análise de seus potenciais impactos socioambientais - Sugestões para regulamentação no Brasil

Abstract

Increasing demand for energy and the growing geopolitical concentration of oil and gas reserves in the hand of a small numbers of coutries raise concerns about energy security. This pressure led to a search for new technologies for the extraction of shale gas in the United States, which allowed the country to produce, in 2011, 95% of the gas consumed domestically, with the possibility of becoming self-sufficient in a few years. This perspective has attracted the attention of other countries with shale gas reserves, such as China, Argentina, United Kingdom and Brazil, which in 2013 held the first bid, through the ANP focusing on natural gas and with interest in unconventional gas. In light of this scenario, this study aims to provide subsidies for decision-making and the construction of a regulatory framework related to gas exploitation using the hydraulic fracturing technique in Brazil, for this, the existing literature mainly from the United States was used to identify the social and environmental impacts of this operation described in scientific articles, non-scientific journals, industry reports, governmental and non-governmental organization documents. The extraction of shale gas requires stimulation of wells using the hydraulic fracturing technique, controversial technique, given its potential environmental impacts. Therefore, the U.S. eased the environmental legislation of the country to enable large-scale production, and this fact has brought impacts to water resources, soil and contamination that directly impacted the health of citizens in the surroundings. Moreover, this activity affects local biodiversity through deforestation, habitat fragmentation, introduction of exotic species, erosion, sedimentation and physical-chemical changes of water bodies. In addition, the community receiving gas projects is also subject to social impacts. American rural areas are experiencing rapid growth leading to cases of "community disruption" and conflicts between neighbors, where one gets rich by leasing their lands and received royalties and other bears the environmental impacts. Considering these risks, some countries have enacted a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing as France, Scotland and the U.S. state of New York. None of the countries/states surveyed had existing legislation that is comprehensive enough to protect society and the environment of the potential impacts. A combination of these laws associated with the existing ANP regulation in Brazil could be a start. The country has few of the aspects that led the United States to great economic success of shale gas, and probably would not see the same benefit in places where production is expected, remote locations without infrastructure and scarce labor. It was therefore concluded, that for projects of this magnitude to occur safely requires that environmental and social impact studies are made taking into account cumulative impacts, typical of this activity. For this, it is important that baseline data is collected for at least two years and that stakeholders are involved from the very beginning.