The Government has just signed this Friday, in Lisbon, with the Spaniards from Repsol and the Germans from RWE, the concession contract for the exploration of natural gas off the Algarve coast, in an area about eight kilometers off the coast of Faro.
The agreement provides that 9% of oil companies' revenues will revert to the Portuguese State, with the Secretary of State for Energy having guaranteed that the exploration of natural gas will have a “positive impact on the population [of the Algarve], as part of the royalties will be applied to development local".
For now, the concessionaire companies plan to invest, in the first three years, dedicated only to prospecting, 30 million euros. But only in the later phase, of exploration, will the royalties be paid, that is, the considerations.
Secretary of State Henrique Gomes also guaranteed that, in the case of gas exploration, “the environmental impacts are practically nil”.
But these guarantees do not leave deputies Mendes Bota (PSD) and Miguel Freitas (PS) at ease.
Earlier this week, Social Democrat congressman Mendes Bota had questioned the Government about the signing of this contract, warning of the reduced advantages and environmental risks of the eventual exploitation of natural gas.
In an application delivered on Tuesday and addressed to the Ministry of Economy, Mendes Bota, who has always opposed the exploitation of hydrocarbons off the Algarve, once again criticized this option and questioned the Government on whether it "is aware" of the risks of a tide black “for an environmentally as valuable and sensitive ecosystem as the Ria Formosa Natural Park”.
The PSD deputy also wants to know how the Ministry of Economy sees “the apparent contradiction of leaving the country tied to a contract that can last up to 55 years, precisely at a time of change in the energy paradigm around the world, embracing forms of energy renewable and non-polluting'.
Mendes Bota also underlined that the Algarve "is not in the least prepared to respond to an oil spill, not having a tugboat ready for an emergency of this magnitude".
And he also criticized the exploration's own visual impact, since, he underlined, the northern limit of one of the exploration blocks is located only 8,5 kilometers from Faro. Bota also asked if the burnouts of future exploration platforms will be visible from the Algarve coast, a situation which, if that happens, he considers «incompatible with the image of the Algarve as a tourist region».
Today it was PS Deputy Miguel Freitas' turn to demand "transparency" from the Government regarding the prospecting of natural gas in the Algarve, having criticized the Executive for moving forward "hasty" with the project, "without giving explanations to the Algarve" .
"The Government had an obligation to have come to the region to say what is at stake, as this issue generates doubts and fears, often unfounded, and the population has the right to know exactly what is happening," he stressed. Miguel Freitas, who has followed this process since the Socialist Government, affirming that he has always been “very demanding regarding public information on the matter”.
The leader of the PS Algarve, who is also the leader, considers that, by "running forward" with the project, without giving explanations to the Algarve, the Government is generating an unnecessary controversy that harms the Algarve region.
“We cannot avoid a clear discussion on the exploration of natural gas in the Algarve coastal zone, it being essential to know what the impacts, risks and counterparts are”, stressed Miguel Freitas.
The deputy asked the Government today about the schedule of work inherent to the development of the project, as well as the respective contribution to the national economy and the impacts on economic activities and employment at a regional level.
In the application presented to the Assembly of the Republic, the parliamentarian elected by the Algarve also questioned the Executive about the environmental risks arising from the prospecting of natural gas on the Algarve coast and the counterparts of investment in the region.
“If there is any matter that deserves a serious and qualified discussion, this is it. And that there is a regional consensus. We are available to participate in this discussion. We don't have any prejudices. We will only defend the public interest, of the region and of the country, both in the present and in the future», concluded Miguel Freitas.
Miguel Freitas also wants to know the position of the majority parties, particularly the PSD, since the only one that is known is that of deputy Mendes Bota, who "is militantly against".
In his statements after the signing of the contract with the Repsol and RWE consortium, Secretary of State Henrique Gomes underlined that the 9% of the revenues that will be allocated to the State in compensation constitute "a very interesting percentage internationally", being that the renegotiation carried out in the meantime allowed to multiply “by about 50 times what was initially foreseen”.
The start of prospecting work on the two blocks off the eastern coast of the Algarve is scheduled for next year.
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