Etap, ministry push Tunisian shale development

The Tunisian government has embarked on a second attempt to persuade the nation of the potential benefits of shale gas exploration after its first attempt encountered popular opposition. On 27 June, minister of industry Mehdi Jomaâ launched a “national debate on energy” at which both caretaker President Moncef Marzouki and Prime Minister Ali Larayedh made speeches. Officials canvassed by African Energy before the launch said that the technical decision to develop shale resources had already been taken in the ministry and at state oil company Entreprise Tunisienne d’Activités Pétrolières (Etap). The task is now to muster the necessary political and popular backing.