The US Chemical Industry and Shale Gas: A Forthcoming Supply Shock?

摘要

The boom of shale gas in the United States first impacted the primary market of natural gas, followed by the market for power generation. Now, the huge production of shale gas will impact the chemical industry in a very significant way with secondary impacts on world markets. This ongoing process could be an impediment to the competitiveness of the industrial bioeconomy. Even if the externalities of shale gas are less negative than in the case of oil or coal, in terms of the environment it is still a fossil fuel.