Bulgarian environmentalists are to protest on Saturday in downtown Sofia against potential shale gas research and exploration in the country.

"The fight is not over! For the conclusive ban on shale gas!" the main slogan of the rally is set to be.

The protesters are demanding new legislation to be adopted, tackling all exploration activities, including a law regulating concessions, since they believe the current legislation leaves the door wide open for robbing Bulgaria of its natural resources.

The environmentalists have decided to stage the new protest after Economy and Energy Minister Traicho Traikov announced the formation of a consultative committee on shale gas without including representatives of their civic initiative or scientists.

In January, following a wave of environmental protests, the Bulgarian government revoked a shale gas exploration permit granted to US energy giant Chevron for deposits in Northeastern Bulgaria, citing the insufficient proof of the environmental safety of hydraulic fracturing. The decision followed a wave of protests organized by environmentalists and citizens across the country.

On January 18, the Cabinet imposed an indefinite ban on hydraulic fracturing, a method which involves injecting a mix of water, sand and chemicals at very high pressure deep underground to crack rock and release oil and gas.

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