India's Shale Gas Boom: Dream or Reality?

As India prepares for the release of its long anticipated shale gas policy, pressure continues to mount on New Delhi. An increase in coal imports over the past 12 months has demonstrated the stress on current energy supply and the negative impacts it has on India’s public health and environment. VeerappaMoily, India’s Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, stated in March that the government’s shale gas policy would be released in early April, yet such a policy, which Moily stated in an interview with Reuters in March would be a “game changer” for India, is still to materialize. Many analysts continue to point to the importance of improving the country’s energy security. Indeed, shale gas production could offer a reprieve for energy-starved India as well as a much needed boost to its economy.