On the 21st and 22nd of April, 2016 the western Algarve population was alerted to a worrying development at the Perdigão area of Aljezur, at the site where alleged “water drilling” activity has been taking place for months.
Dozens of photos published today by anti-oil and gas campaining organisation ASMAA show the impact of a chemical foam used in the drilling process - but water was found at this site three months ago, so why does drilling continue? The suspicion is that the instigator is using a water drilling license to cover up a search for oil and gas.
The concern for activists at ASMAA and for western Algarve residents is the unknown environmental impact of this unknown foamy chemical mix which clearly can be seen running into a small stream that eventually links up to the river that then flows into the estuary at Amoreira Beach.
ASMAA recaps the information to date:
1. The site is located in an National Agricultural Reserve
2. As far as ASMAA is aware, only one borehole/well drilling licence was issued but site inspection shows that 2 boreholes have been drilled
3. Initially, the permit allowed for drilling to a depth of 150 metres, which was subsequently extended to a drilling depth of 500 metres.
4. The land is owned by Domus Verde Imobiliarios Empreendimentos, a real estate development business, who’s director is Sousa Cintra and who’s shareholders are Cintra family members.
5. Sousa Cintra also is the shareholder and director of Portfuel – the company that holds the concession licence for the exploration, exploitation and commercialisation of oil and gas in the onshore concession areas of the Algarve.
6. This specific site where 'drilling for water' is taking place is located within the oil and gas development activity concession area awarded to Portfuel.
7. Domus Verde appointed as drilling Fonseca Furos as the contractor, a company that has as clients such companies as Total Portugal Petroleos and Mohave Oil & Gas.
8. That as early as January 24 this year, Fonseca Furos successfully found water at this site and on a Facebook page the owner shared this fact so why has the drilling for water continued? (ASMAA has a copy of a video and a screen shot of the Facebook page showing Fonseca's announcement)
Taking the above points into account, and adding the fact that we have on many occasions heard our esteem politicians say: "Portugal isn't Greece" "Portugal is the next Norway / Aberdeen" ASMAA asks, what is really going on in the Aljezur area of Perdigão?
ASMAA's Laurinda Seabra says that "the time is ripe once again to demand answers from government and to pressurise them to put a stop to this travesty."
If Sousa Cintra is behind this drilling activity, if the drilling depths have exceeded the licensed limit, if metal pipes are being used rather than the authorised plastic ones, if there is more than one borehole, if the foam being used is in any way hazardous or non-biodegradable, if the activity is related to oil and gas exploration rather than drilling for water, the State needs to stop this activity and hold Sousa Cintra to book.
The Platform for an Algarve Free of Petroleum (PALP) has filed a complaint with the Inspeção-Geral da Agricultura, do Mar, do Ambiente e do Ordenamento do Território (IGAMAOT) about the drilling that is taking place.
The information given by the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) and the National Authority for the Fuel Market (ENMC), was that drilling was authorised for water abstraction for agricultural irrigation of about 7 hectares.
The situation is abnormal, says PALP, as water drilling should not go on for four months and there is a pool of dark wastewater without any kind of protection to prevent it leaching into the ground. There also is a strong smell of unidentified ‘volatile compounds’ and the scale of the operation looks nothing like a water drilling project.
PALP has demanded that IGAMAOT investigates and clarifies the real objectives of the drilling operation in this protected area.
ASMAA to challenge the legality of oil and gas concession licenses
ASMAA also announced today that it "actively is accessing legal options to bring this matter to the attention of the courts, because it is clear that all actions to date by authorities and government representatives have not resulted in any substantive or effective conclusion, nor addressed the risks nor fears of the local population.
"There’s no doubt that in spite of all that has been said in the press by AMAL, the mayors in Algarve are being very slow in taking legal action to prevent risks to the environment, to the local population and to the local economy.
"ASMAA believes that the entire adjudication and award process for offshore and onshore oil and gas concessions signed by the previous government needs to be challenged, and if no-one else is prepared to battle and fight for the rights of the environment, for local residents and for our visitors, then ASMAA will pick-up the baton and lead the process.
"Currently the local population is being bombarded with misinformation, including an allegation that all that is happening is “research” and that they have nothing to loose, but that Portugal has much to gain.
"At ASMAA we disagree. No business will invest in anything unless there is potential for major gains at the end of the process.
"Trying to make fools of the population is not the way to gather support for this hair-brained process and idea. It’s time that the government take a leadership role and really acts in a transparent and truthful manner, cancels the existing contracts and starts listening to the local population … nothing else will do."
Laurinda Seabra, ASMAA, April 2016.
_____________________________
For more pictures, click on: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.1692181880798764&type=1
For ASMAA's website, click on: http://asmaa-algarve.org/en/
For PALP's website, click on: http://www.palp.pt/index.php/en/
For aniti-fracking petition, click on: https://www.change.org/p/representativos-do-governo-nacional-regional-e-camaras-municipais-o-algarve-diz-nao-ao-fracking-algarve-says-no-to-fracking?recruiter=11433457&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_facebook_responsive&utm_term=des-lg-no_src-no_msg&fb_ref=Default
