The Supreme Auditing Chamber (NIK) has launched a comprehensive review of the shale gas sector in Poland.

The check will encompass the activities of public administration bodies connected to prospecting, extraction and utilization of shale gas.

Among other matters, NIK shall examine studies determining the size of resources, plans for their processing and distribution as well as the manner in which license owners fulfil their obligations.

Poland's exploitation of its shale gas reserves had been championed by the government as a gateway to greater independence in the energy sphere, with Warsaw currently heavily reliant on Russia.

In May this year, Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared that the exploitation of shale gas “will begin a new epoch for energy in Poland.”

Over twenty international companies are among those engaged in the search for shale gas in Poland.

In the first stage of the audit, a panel of NIK inspectors will be hearing opinions prepared by experts from the Ministry of Environment, the State Geological Institute, the Higher Office for Mining, the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Resources, the Institute of Geological Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Polish Oil and Gas Extraction Company (PGNiG).

These experts will also be consulted for opinions after the conclusion of the inspection.

In March this year, Poland's Chief National Geologist Piotr Wozniak claimed that the extent of Polish shale gas deposits may not be quite as promising as had previously been imagined.

However, test drills are ongoing, and the government is still confident that the reserves are substantial.

Results of the NIK audit are to be presented to Parliament and made public in spring 2013