A drilling rig exploring for shale gas is pictured in Ksiezomierz in south-eastern Poland on June 11, 2013. Francois Hollande has said France will maintain its ban on the exploration for shale gas throughout his five-year term.
President Francois Hollande said on Sunday that France would maintain its ban on the exploration for shale gas throughout his five-year term.
"As long as I am president, there were will be no exploration for shale gas," Hollande said during a Bastille Day interview with top television channels.
He said the fracking technique used to extract shale gas presented too many "risks to groundwater".
"We can see some consequences in the United States" from the technique, Hollande said.
Energy companies have been banned since 2011 from exploiting shale gas in France over fears of environmental risks from the potential air and water pollution involved in fracking.
© 2013 AFP
