The Secretary of State for Energy today claimed that he knew nothing about the decision of the Loulé Administrative Court that halts exploratory oil drilling off Aljezur.
"The court legitimately made a decision that, I as a Secretary of State and also the Ministry of Economy did not know about, we are not part of the decision," said Jorge Seguro Sanches, speaking to incredulous journalists in Lisbon.
Seguro Sanches also said that the current government has already cancelled permits for oil exploration in "48% of the territory of the Algarve," off Peniche in Leiria and another in the south of the Algarve.
"All these contracts were canceled with the principle of strict and absolute compliance with the law," said Sanches, trying to conceal the significant setback this court decision has on the government's commitment to facilitate the creation of an oil and gas extraction industry in Portuguese waters.
On Monday, the Galp-ENI consortium said that it, "always had complied scrupulously with the law and guidance of the authorities," regarding its permit for oil exploration in the ocean off Aljezur.
The consortium’s stance is that the decision of the Loulé Court in accepting environmental group, PALP's, injunction against oil drilling was based on "an alleged irregularity" in a process conducted by the Directorate General of Natural Resources.
"The consortium is evaluating this decision and its options. It is not our practice to comment on ongoing proceedings," concluded the spokesman.
The probability of Jorge Seguro Sanches being unaware of the Court’s decision on Monday, to suspend oil drilling, is zero. This news was blasted across national, local and social media, hailing the judge’s decision as a victory for the environmental groups and local population that have fought so long and hard to rid the region of the threat of oil drilling 40 or so kilometres from the pristine Aljezur coastline.
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