The consortium that brings together Repsol and Partex announced that it will begin drilling the first drilling for hydrocarbons off the Algarve in October, but AMAL – Comunidade Intermunicipal do Algarve will maintain its focus on trying to stop it for now. concessions on land.
AMAL president Jorge Botelho says he only learned about the companies' intention through the interview that António Costa Silva, CEO of Partex, gave to Antena 1 and Diário Económico, where a concrete date for the start of drilling was revealed for the first time.
“We maintain opposition to the whole process. But, as it is public, at the moment, we are dedicating ourselves a lot to the issue of on-shore and not so much to off-shore, although we think it is a mistake to move towards prospecting and exploration at sea, off the Algarve», said Jorge Botelho, to Sul Informação.
The approach will be different, in relation to the two processes, “which are very different”, explained the AMAL president. In the case of onshore prospecting, It has been known for a long time that the Algarve's municipalities are ready to go to court, if necessary.. "There have already been contacts with teams of jurists", although the legal representative of AMAL has not yet been chosen in this process, which should go, "in principle, through an injunction".
According to Jorge Botelho, the Algarve mayors are now waiting to see what comes out of the legal evaluation process of the contracts signed between the State and the company Portfuel, by Sousa Cintra, which is being promoted by the Government. A process whose completion, he believes, "will be for days".
“We believe that the process is plagued by some illegalities, not least because it is not clear that the concession could be awarded by direct award. Let's hope that common sense prevails, because there is evidence of non-compliance by Portfuel», he defended.
If the Government does not stop the process, then the Chambers will be asking for the nullity of the contracts, in court. “We have great doubts regarding the content of the contracts. We are going to question their validity, in the sense of being terminated», he said, adding that he believes that the Government will not have to compensate the company for the breach of contract.
With regard to prospecting and possible exploitation of hydrocarbons off-shore, at sea, AMAL will continue to monitor the process (and contest it), but will assume a different strategy, which, until you see, will not go through the courts.
It is certain that this process is “at the door”. According to António Costa Silva, the drilling preparation process for natural gas exploration off the southern Algarve coast has already been completed and the first holes will be drilled in October.
The president of the Partex Group Executive Committee he added that the well in question will be located about 40 kilometers off the coast, in front of Faro, adding that "there won't be any oil rig in front of the beach", that is, that "everything will take place on the submarine bottom".
The tender for awarding the concession of the Partex/Repsol consortium dates back to 2001, but the contract was only signed in 2011.
In the interview, António Costa e Silva considered "a mission of national sovereignty" to inventory the natural resources that the country has, arguing that "only later should come a discussion about what will or will not be explored".
According to the National Entity for the Fuel Market (ENMC), the Partex/Repsol consortium holds four offshore concessions in the Algarve, named Lagosta, Lagostim, Sapateira and Caranguejo.
In addition to the work being carried out by AMAL, the Algarve's mayors do not miss an opportunity to express their opposition to the exploitation of hydrocarbons in the region.
Last week, José Amarelinho, mayor of Aljezur, took advantage of the visit to the municipality of the Secretary of State for the Environment to “reaffirm his frontal opposition to the entire process of prospecting and possible exploitation of hydrocarbons in the municipality of Aljezur in particular, as well as throughout the Algarve».
The socialist mayor took care of the work developed by the Chamber of Aljezur in this sense, as well as the work that AMAL has also been developing to stop the process.
Amarelinho reaffirmed the «manifest incompatibility between this activity and the sustainable development strategy that the Municipality pursues, as well as the fact that we consider this process to be “inquired” since its inception».
That same day, Secretary of State Carlos Martins received, from the hands of close to two hundred protesters, residing in Aljezur and neighboring counties, documentation contesting the prospecting for hydrocarbons in the Algarve.
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