The first shale hydraulic fracturing operation was recently carried out in Poland by US firm Halliburton on behalf of gas monopolist PGNiG. The Polish company wants to see if the Markowola well near Kozienice, in Lubelskie voivodship, contains commercial gas deposits. Some experts have said that Poland’s shale and tight-gas reserves could amount to three trillion cubic meters, which, if commercially exploited, could break Poland’s dependence on Russia for gas.