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Onshore oil drilling concession signed for Tavira and Aljezur areas

oilblocsalgarvePortfuel, owned by local millionaire businessman José de Sousa Cintra, (pictured below), has obtained the concession to drill for oil in the Algarve near Aljezur in the west and Tavira to the east - within the brown blocs marked on the adjoining map.

Portfuel announced the concession today and will be at first using traditional well drilling to see if and where oil reserves lie.

 

José de Sousa Cintra, a former chairman of Sporting, signed the deal for 'prospecting, exploration, development and production of oil.'

The National Authority for the Fuel Market, Paulo Carmona said that the concession agreements, research, development and production of oil in the areas designated for Aljezur and Tavira are only for land based activities using ‘traditional drilling methods’ for a period of four years.

Of enormous concern to the Algarve’s environmental lobby, there is no requirement for an environmental impact study for these planned drilling activities despite a 100% likleyhood that the environment will be impacted.

There will have to be a study if there is any later exploration or drilling using 'unconventional methods' such as hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for shale gas.

Such environmental studies are paid for by the proposer and in the case of fracking it is unlikely that there will be a sensible scientific study of the impact fracking will have on the Algarve's underground water supply systems, property values and the affect of the activity on tourism nor the long term result of the injection of toxic chemicals into the subterranean Algarve.

Paul Carmona sagely noted that Portfuel Oil and Gas Portugal has shown interest in land drilling "because it believes that it is possible to find oil," noting that these will be the first oil test drilling activities for both locations.

In an unsuccessful attempt to downplay the serious nature of the new land based concession areas that cover most of the Algarve, Carmona said that since 1981 there have been 27 test wells drilled at a costs to the industry of about €1 billion in attempts to find oil.

“All holes were abandoned because they were dry or because the amount of oil found was insufficient to justify the investment,” said Carmona, adding helpfully that drilling holes in the Algarve helps us to have a deeper knowledge of the territory.

Also since 1981 the Algarve has developed into one of the Europe's most attractive tourist areas with property prices second only to Lisbon.

How Algarve homeowners will react to oil drilling on their doorstep, whether relatively unregulated test drilling or full fracking activity, can only be guessed at.

The offshore oil and gas drilling is going ahead with plans to turn the Algarve's near offshore into a large industrial zone but there has been an underwhelming response to anti-oil petitions despite the broad impact such activity inevitably will have on the region.

Currently, several companies, such as Repsol and Partex, have permission from the government to search for oil and natural gas in the Algarve, but only in offshore blocs.

With the anti-oil fight now coming onshore and threatening people's homes and land, protests may attract more interest from those that may be adversely affected financially.

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTGXN_LaklN--Q2L7Z0x6mQTDHS4KVQyoZv80-kosmcuvK3rb7t

 

See also ASMAA's anti-offshore dilling website:

http://asmaa-algarve.org/index.php/en/campaigns/oil-and-gas-in-the-algarve/campaign-info-oil-in-algarve/latest-map-of-oil-and-gas-licences-in-portugal

 

For copies of the original contracts as .pdf files, in Portuguese, click on the links below:

Tavira:

http://asmaa-algarve.org/index.php/en/news/what-s-new/download/59_7fce07657cde3a3414dd9ba483224edc

Aljezur:

http://asmaa-algarve.org/index.php/en/news/what-s-new/download/58_5ee335ccdef05e9b60b2034280c2f7ce

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Comments  

+1 #12 SolarCowboyz 2015-09-30 12:46
We not need it, there are to many "Can Happens"
But we also must start ate Home and control the use off Oil products.
Less we us less the can sell!!
+2 #11 Paul 2015-09-28 15:28
Quoting Billy Boy:
What a scary headline until you look at the Map!
1.Its a band inland from Aljezur to Tavira in the East - away from the Coast and not in the Costa Vincentina National Park. Not even near Aljezur.
2. Ever been to Texas? I have and you never even notice the drilling.
Calm down folks!


Texas has a diverse and developed economy for its 26 million inhabitants including Mining and Logging, Construction, Manufacturing, Trade/Transportation/Utilities , Financial Activities, Professional and Business Services, Education and Health Services, Leisure and Hospitality.

The Algarve has tourism.
-5 #10 Billy Boy 2015-09-28 14:34
What a scary headline until you look at the Map!
1.Its a band inland from Aljezur to Tavira in the East - away from the Coast and not in the Costa Vincentina National Park. Not even near Aljezur.
2. Ever been to Texas? I have and you never even notice the drilling.
Calm down folks!
+4 #9 victoria ratledge 2015-09-28 13:26
Quoting Damien:
Is there any spin off issues concerning the dried out aquifers? Not having water in them anymore having been drained for the local golf course. Now we have draining the rocks of oil.

What will hold up those plump well fed politicians as they go round collecting their bungs ... will we soon see some disappear into suddenly appearing 'sink holes'?
frightening US precedent STILL ongoing ......https://en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Bayou_Corne_sinkhole
+4 #8 victoria ratledge 2015-09-28 13:21
PLEASE spread this american horror story (still growing & threatens to explode any day ! ! ) exactly the same situation here ..rio formosa is a bomb many times the strength of hiroshima poised to obliterate the entire south of portugal --they must be forced to avoid such danger !
+7 #7 Joao Martins 2015-09-27 18:38
I was under the assumption that once the price of crude fell below a certain number the cost to pump it out was not a viable proposition, so whats all this about then, you know what ? This is what i'll do!

I'm going to tell you a story
'Bout a man named Jose
A poor portugaleer,
Barely kept his family fed.
And then one domingo
He was shootin' at some food,
And up through the ground came a-bubblin' crude.
Oil that is, black gold, Algarve Bica.
Well the first thing you know
Ol' Jose a millionaire,
Kinfolk said "Jose move away from there".
Said "Lisboa the place you outta be".
So they loaded up the truck
And they moved to Lisboa.
Lisboa Hills that is, Swimming pools, tv stars.

I love m+m's don't you, the yellow and red ones.
+7 #6 Damien 2015-09-26 21:43
Is there any spin off issues concerning the dried out aquifers? Not having water in them anymore having been drained for the local golf course. Now we have draining the rocks of oil.

What will hold up those plump well fed politicians as they go round collecting their bungs ... will we soon see some disappear into suddenly appearing 'sink holes'?
+5 #5 mm 2015-09-26 20:12
aahh who can forget that famous tv series the Beverley Hillbillys can now be updated for here and also a new song with updated lyrics
·
now singalong yhear
·
Come and listen to my story
'Bout a man named Jose
A poor portugaleer,
Barely kept his family fed.
And then one domingo
He was shootin' at some food,
And up through the ground came a-bubblin' crude.
Oil that is, black gold, Algarve Bica.
Well the first thing you know
Ol' Jose a millionaire,
Kinfolk said "Jose move away from there".
Said "Lisboa the place you outta be".
So they loaded up the truck
And they moved to Lisboa.
Lisboa Hills that is, Swimming pools, tv stars.

end title song

Well now it's time to say
Goodby to Jose and all his kin,
They would like to thank
You folks for kindly droppin' in.
You're all invited back again to this locality
To have a heapin' helpin' of their hospitality.
Algarvy that is, sit a spell, take your shoes off.
Volta ja.. come back now, y'hear
+9 #4 Ed 2015-09-26 19:16
Quoting Simon:
What is the law about access and compensation on a person's land and can they refuse?

Yes, Portufuel has to arrange with local landowners to drill on their land, for a price of course. The owner of Portfuel owns land so probably will drill on his own.
+7 #3 Simon 2015-09-26 17:19
What is the law about access and compensation on a person's land and can they refuse?

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