Gazprom, the dominant Russian energy company, is confronting fears that it may lose its preeminence on the European market. As a result of the increased use of hydro-fracking, several states in Europe are now able to ensure sustainable natural gas supplies by relying on their own resources. Fracking allows accessing natural gas reserves that were not considered to be viable with traditional recovery methods. The effect of the new technology on the natural gas market in the United States has already been felt. As a result of hydraulic fracturing, the United States is poised to end its dependence on gas imports in the near future. Within the European continent, fracking is now utilized in the United Kingdom and in Poland. If any significant gas reserves are located in the eastern European states, the importance of Gazprom in the European energy equation is bound to go down.

The Russian gas export monopoly is the absolute global leader in natural gas production. In 2012, Gazprom produced 487 billion cubic meters of natural and associated gas, 12.8 million tons of condensate, and 33.3 million tons of oil. The company is the number one supplier of gas to a host of European states, among which are Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Slovenia, where Gazprom is the sole supplier, as well as the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, and Poland, where it has a dominant market share.

Even while environmentalists raise issues with the adverse ecological effect of using fracking, the new method for the recovery of hydrocarbons revolutionized the U.S. gas industry. Companies received the ability to tap previously inaccessible reserves, which allowed them to market significant volumes of natural gas at low costs.

Even though certain European states imposed a moratorium on using the fracking technique, companies in Poland have decided to take advantage of the new method to develop their unconventional energy sources. In line with preliminary assessments, sustainable gas production in Poland that would be enough to meet the demand of the entire country is a clear possibility. If Poland begins exporting gas to other countries, Gazprom’s dominating role in Europe will inevitably diminish.

Gazprom has publicly opposed the use of hydro-fracking over environmental concerns. While some analysts have criticized the Russian gas major over using similar extraction mechanisms to produce coal bed methane in the Kuzbass region, Gazprom’s executives stated that they favor a pan-European prohibition on the use of the fracking technique.