Jacqueline Fanchini (Reporter)By Jacqueline Fanchini
A FLOTILLA of boats protesting plans for a fracking survey on the Costa del Sol has been backed by Greenpeace and the Junta.
The protest, on Sunday, will see hundreds of boats set off from Fuengirola port, protesting Repsol’s plans to begin exploratory drilling for natural gas off Mijas Costa, as early as February 2015.
The ‘Siroco’ project aims to drill wells 1,600m deep, just 12km southwest of Fuengirola.
This is despite Junta Tourism Minister Rafael Rodriguez insisting the venture is ‘incompatible’ with tourism development on the Costa del Sol.
If the project is a success, opponents fear it could pave the way for more fracking in the future.
Fracking is a highly controversial topic, with environmentalists insisting the science surrounding the extraction process is unproven and dangerous.
They say the process can cause small tremors, which risk releasing carcinogenic chemicals into the surrounding waters.
Rodriguez has now met with the umbrella group organizing the protest and given his support for the action.
The minister has also vowed to take the matter to Madrid’s tourist commission to try and get the project scrapped.
The flotilla protest will be joined by Greenpeace’s icebreaker ship, Arctic Sunrise, which is now in the area.
Vessels will leave from various ports on the coast but the main body will depart from Fuengirola’s port at 10am on October 19 and sail to the Mijas coastline affected, roughly 8.5km from the Punta de Calaburras.
Anyone looking to participate should contact: 616636108
Wow, the Junta doing something right for a change.
In who’s opinion?
There has been drilling before offshore Malaga, without any environmental impact, and who says Repsol is going the frack? It does not fit the profile of these types of projects and smacks of Greenpeace/Junta talking a load of cobblers without understanding the facts.
Fracking is only used in reservoirs which are tight (and fluid flow needs to be induced), the wells Repsol are looking at do not require Fracking as they flow naturally. Did you know that Repsol produces gas offshore the Donana National Park? To my knowledge, and I dont work for Repsol, there has not to date been any environmental incident associated with this project.
In this day and age governments quite righttly impose huge environmental constraints on E&P companies, in other parts of the world the EIA would be in the public domain.
“there has not to date been any environmental incident associated with this project.”
Best leave it that way then, why have the risk? Let Rajoy hold a referendum, like the Canary Islands plan to do.
Oiler, your comment “smacks of Greenpeace/Junta talking a load of cobblers without understanding the facts” could also be applied to the so called illegal housing situation in Andalucia which has been caused by so called environmentalists and these two basket cases.
In both these cases, it is a case of hijacking for political ends not genuine beliefs.