The Algarve Free of Oil group, PALP, has called for an urgent meeting with the government to sort out the suituation surrounding the test well licence granted to the Galp-ENI oil consortium.
PALP learned of the licence, granted on January 11th and hidden away on a little-watched website, and joins other industry and environmental groups in calling for the government to explain what exactly it is playing at.
The Algarve Tourist Board’s president today issued a strong statement against the January 11th licensing of oil drilling for Galp-ENI off the west coast.
Desidério Silva stated the tourist board’s position was one of "firm rejection and deep discontent" with the government decision to authorise the test well.
The licence allows the Galp-ENI consortium to drill a 3km deep borehole in the seabed between the Algarve and the Alentejo, 46.5 km from the Aljezur coast.
The Left Bloc leader, Catarina Martins, visited Olhão on Saturday and spoke about the shock decision by the government to authorise exploratory drilling for oil and gas in the sea off Aljezur.
Reiterating her statement made in parliament on Friday, Martins said that all the conditions exists to halt the drilling by the Galp-ENI Eni consortium.
On January 26th, environmental organisation ASMAA discovered that the Direção-Geral de Recursos Naturais, Segurança e Serviços Marítimos (DGRM) has signed a licence for the Galp-ENI consortium on January 11, 2017 to drill in the Alentejo Basin.
In August last year, 42,295 people signed a petition to oppose this drilling permit for a 1,000 metre well in the ocean off Aljezur. This was all part of the public consultation process, 4 people were in favour of this licence being granted.
Left Bloc leader, Catarina Martins, brought up the situation surrounding oil exploration in the Algarve and Alentejo offshore exploration areas during question time in parliament today, demanding to know why a drilling licence had been granted to Galp-ENI despite a 42,000 signature petition demanding this oil exploration process be stopped.
The Prime Minister said that the government had looked at the three southern concessions and had no reason to halt or interfere with the Galp-ENI exploration programme as the concession holder had done nothing wrong.
"The Movement for an Algarve Free of Oil (MALP) is appealing to the population of the Algarve to raise its collective voice against the António Costa government for having approved, on January 11th, oil exploration off the coast of Aljezur.
MALP considers it indecent that the government has ignored more than 42,000 citizens who came forward during the public consultation and signed a petition against oil and gas exploration by the ENI-GALP consortium.
‘Shock and disappointment’ have been expressed in no uncertain terms by the head of the anti-oil campaigning organisation ASMAA after it was discovered, late on Thursday January 26th, that the government's marine resource agency DGRM already has signed a highly controversial offshore drilling licence that allows Galp/ENI to start operations in the Alentejo basin.
This licence is seen as the key that opens the door to an offshore oil and gas industry and is vehemently opposed, not only by environmental organisations, but also by the Algarve region’s mayors and 42,000 signatories to an anti oil petition which has yet to be debated in parliament.
Odemira council’s socialist party members have issued a statement about the impending oil drilling off the Alentejo coast and in the Algarve, which opposes exploration and extraction of oil or gas under concession contracts that have not been assessed for their economic, social and economic impacts.
The position statement has been sent to the ministers of the Economy and of the Environment as well as parliamentary groups.
