The parliamentary group of the Left Bloc asked the government on Thursday for the report on the public consultation on the granting of the licence for the exploration and exploitation of oil in the Alentejo Basin.
The Santola concession, signed to the Galp-ENI oil consortium in 2007, covers an area off the coast of Aljezur and has triggered, like all the other concessions, fierce opposition from environmental groups, the general public and other bodies such as the mayors’ group AMAL.
"Due to all this opposition and illegality, some contracts will not go forward. However, the government maintains its intention to continue with the Santola contract,” according to the Left Bloc parliamentary group.
In September 2016, as part of the legally necessary public consultation on oil explotation and extraction in the deep offshore in the Alentejo Basin, more than 42,000 people signed a petition in opposition to the Private Use of the Maritime Space (TUPEM) licence, later granted to the consortium.
"This very high engagement in the public consultation demonstrates the concern shown by citizens against the exploration and exploitation of oil off the Algarve and Alentejo coastline," reads the Left Bloc request, submitted by three MPs, including João Vasconcelos from the Algarve.
The Left Bloc says that, based on the results of the public consultation, the Directorate General of Natural Resources, Security and Services also has produced its positive report without consulting any of the entities that it legally was required to consult, including the National Maritime Authority, the GNR, and the Directorates-General of Energy and of Culture.
