Drilling Off Motril Coast?

The Central Government in Madrid has said that it sees no reason why seabed prospecting for oil cannot take place off the coast of Motril. It reassures those concerned that the Royal Decree that gave the go-ahead to CNWL Oil España in 2010 only permits the said company to carry out its exploration work as long as it strictly observes all the environmental precautions in the area. Simply put, the Government states that there are ‘no technical reason’ to deny them the licence.

What concerns local fishermen on the coasts of Granada and Motril, where the Chinook seismic testings will take place, is that the tests will disrupt breeding grounds, quite apart from the fact that fishing boats will not be allowed into the area whilst the testing is being carried out.

The company, accordingly, will not be allowed to commence these tests, until a complete environmental study is submitted that evaluates possible prejudicial repercussions.

So, as the situation stands, until the company comes up with the said environmental-impact findings, exploration cannot begin, which is why the Government says that ‘there are no technical reasons’ against proceeding; i.e., investigating possible environmental repercussions before starting the seismic soundings.

(News: Motril, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)

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