The eventual exploration of natural gas in the Algarve should not take place before 2019, as there is still no confirmation of its existence on the coast. The clarification was given yesterday, in a statement, by the National Entity for the Fuel Market.
The body, in a press release, explains that what is «provided and licensed for the Algarve is a survey to verify the existence of natural gas that can be exploited» and that «the works refer, basically, to a rig, 35 km from the coast and at a depth of 770 meters, it will penetrate the seabed to test geological formations».
Because "there is still no confirmation of the existence" of natural gas on the coast, "there will not yet be any exploitation of gas resources", explains the ENMC, which adds that "there is no way (for example, a pipeline) to remove it from the subsoil'.
Therefore, that entity says that "if the existence of gas in quantities that can be commercially explored is proven, it is not foreseeable to start any gas exploration before 2019".
This deadline provides for "the necessary installation of infrastructure and licensing", not least because "in order to have oil or gas exploration, a special license and an environmental impact analysis are required in advance", concludes the ENMC, which says it is available to "clarify any doubts of all citizens».
The ENMC communiqué comes "following several news that came out with concerns about gas research in the Algarve", and the Algarve Free Oil Platform it has been the most active entity in combating the exploitation of hydrocarbons and oil on the Algarve coast.
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