In May 2008, Swedish governmental agency Bergsstaten gave Shell Exploration and Production AB (affiliate of Royal Dutch Shell Plc) permission for shale gas prospecting and test-drilling in Colonussänkan in Skåne, Sweden. Shell was test-drilling in three different places: Sjöbo, Hörby and Tomelilla. |
| Name of conflict: | Shell Shale Gas Project, Skåne, Sweden |
| Country: | Sweden |
| State or province: | Skåne |
| Accuracy of location | MEDIUM (Regional level) |
| Type of conflict. 1st level: | Fossil Fuels and Climate Justice/Energy |
| Type of conflict. 2nd level: | Oil and gas exploration and extraction Shale gas fracking |
| Specific commodities: | Natural Gas |
| Project details | Since the project ended in its exploration phase, there are no quantitative details on extraction. |
| Project area: | 226,155 |
| Level of Investment for the conflictive project | Shell spent 30,8 million USD during test-drilling |
| Type of population | Semi-urban |
| Start of the conflict: | 2009 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | Shell Exploration Company B.V. from Netherlands - subsidiary to Royal Dutch Shell Plc Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) from Netherlands |
| Relevant government actors: | Shell Exploration and Production AB (Sweden, subsidiary to Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Netherlands) |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | Heaven or Shell, www.heavenorshell.se |
| Intensity | MEDIUM (street protests, visible mobilization) |
| Reaction stage | PREVENTIVE resistance (precautionary phase) |
| Groups mobilizing: | Local ejos Local government/political parties Neighbours/citizens/communities |
| Forms of mobilization: | Creation of alternative reports/knowledge Development of a network/collective action Lawsuits, court cases, judicial activism Official complaint letters and petitions Public campaigns Street protest/marches |
| Environmental Impacts | Potential: Air pollution, Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Noise pollution, Soil contamination, Soil erosion, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physico-chemical, biological) quality, Groundwater pollution or depletion |
| Health Impacts | Potential: Exposure to unknown or uncertain complex risks (radiation, etc…) |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Potential: Loss of landscape/sense of place |
| Project Status | Stopped |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Withdrawal of company/investment Company did not find it profitable enough to continue explorations. |
| Proposal and development of alternatives: | Ejos demand that the Swedish law be changed to give municipalities and/or landowners veto. |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | Not Sure |
| Briefly explain: | The reason to why Shell Exploration and Production AB decided discontinue the explorations was not because of the resistance they met from EJO Heaven or Shell, but because the result from the test drillings showed that the project would not be profitable enough to proceed. The institutional and legislative issues that the protest group Heaven or Shell wanted to change remain the same. |
| Juridical relevant texts related to the conflict (laws, legislations, EIAs, etc) |
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| References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries |
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| Contributor: | Linda Dubec |
| Last update | 18/08/2019 |
| Conflict ID: | 417 |