Australia is slated to be the next big energy market for shale, experts say. Boston consultancy Lux Research in a recent report predicted that Australia will experience large-scale hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, sooner than in China, even though China’s shale resources are estimated to be twice that of the United States. “Existing infrastructure, low population density in resource-rich regions and a welcoming government position Australia at the forefront of shale development,” Lux analyst Daniel Choi was quoted as saying by The Australian newspaper. China by contrast, is fraught with technical challenges caused by depth and geology, Choi says, in addition to the country’s poor infrastructure and local turf wars. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says Australia has an estimated 437 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable shale gas reserves, ranking the country the sixth highest in the world. The reserves are dispersed throughout the […]