TOTAL FAILS POLISH

France's Total has not renewed its only shale gas exploration licence in Poland, a spokesman for Poland's environment ministry said on Monday, in the latest decision from an oil major rethinking shale plans in the country.

"Total had an exploration licence in eastern Poland, near Chelm, which expired on April 1," said Pawel Mikusek, a ministry spokesman. "They didn't renew it."

Poland launched a major push into shale three years ago when Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the country would seek to produce unconventional gas on a commercial scale in 2014.

But a revision in once promising shale reserve estimates, a lack of a legal framework and some poor initial drilling results have prompted Marathon Oil, Talisman Energy and Exxon Mobil to pull out of Poland.

REUTERS.COM.