Scientists and geologists briefed the Seimas' committee on this issue during Wednesday's meeting.
"There are proposals ranging from suspending the entire process to setting up a working group to analyze the current situation. But first of all, we must take into account the opinion of the local population. I have been asked by Prime Minister (Algirdas) Butkevičius to carry out a thorough investigation. The government could cancel this contract in order to protect people's interests," Algimantas Salamakinas, the chairman of the committee, told reporters after the meeting.
Local community representatives from the district of Tauragė said during the meeting that they fear that the drainage system can be destroyed during tests and that the extraction process can lead to groundwater contamination.
US energy giant Chevron has recently submitted the only bid for rights to explore for shale gas and oil in the 1,800-square-kilometer Šilutė-Tauragė field in western Lithuania. If its bid is accepted, the company will have to invest at least 80 million litas (EUR 23.2m) in exploration of the field.
Based on preliminary estimates by geologists, a special working group said last November that Lithuania could have large reserves of shale gas.
