was encountered at depths of 75–85 metres in the wells and all wells had gas shows whilst drilling. One well cored the Alum Shale section. All wells were drill stem tested. Gripen Gas confirmed in October 2012 that Bergsstaten (Swedish Mines Inspectorate) had awarded the Sandön exploration licence covering 162 km2 in the western part of lake Vättern, in Östergötland County. The exploration licence is for biogenic gas exploration in the organic rich Alum shale formation. This new award plus the existing licences make Gripen Gas AB the principal gas explorer in Sweden at 583 km2. Aura Energy's recent announcement that they are about to start drilling at their Motala shale gas project in Sweden, is further evidence of the growing interest in unconventional gas resources. The managing director of Aura Energy, Dr Bob Beeson, a professional geologist with over 35 years of experience in mineral exploration and development, explained the company's position in Sweden. "Aura's Motala Project covers approximately 140 square kilometres of the Alum Shale. Dr Beeson said he was very excited about the project's potential, particularly as the Motala shale may share some similarities with a highly successful play in North America. "Gas flows of up to 50 cubic metres per hour have been reported from drill holes used to extract water, so it is definitely worth investigation," he said. "Because of existing gas production in the region, rigs are available and we have already started to drill two out of the five holes." Ukraine Ukraine has Europe's 3rd largest shale gas reserves at 42 trillion cubic feet (1.2 trillion cubic meters). Ukraine relies heavily on Russia for its gas imports. The EIA notes that the country produces 30% of its natural gas requirements and makes up the bulk from Russian and Turkmenistan imports. The administration states that its location makes it an important transit country for Russian gas supplies, and disputes have resulted in supply disruptions. Shale gas discoveries are potentially changing the game. Shell has signed on to explore an area that government estimates indicate could have 113 Bcm (4 Tcf) in reserves. The country's gas reserves have geologic similarities to its neighbor Poland, and the Lublin basin could be 10 to 15 times the size of the Barnett shale. It also suffers less from population and water issues that plague its neighbor to the northwest. But it suffers from the same bureaucratic issues that