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Oil exploration in the Argentine Sea, particularly in the northern basin, seems to take more and more shape. According to the information accessed by the environmental organization Greenpeace, the Equinor company presented the "project notice" for the imminent drilling of the CAN 100 block, which has an area equivalent to 75 times the city of Buenos Aires and is located at the height of the city of Mar del Plata.

 

 

 

The organization made a request for public information to learn about the analysis that the Ministry, as the competent authority, is carrying out on the impact of this drilling. Access to these studies has also been a repeated request from business chambers linked to the fishing industry.

 

"The Ministry of Environment has the opportunity to put a brake on the advance of the oil industry over our natural heritage, setting a precedent for the protection of the Argentine Sea," said Luisina Vueso, coordinator of the Greenpeace oceans campaign.

 

"It is in your hands to leave a legacy in terms of environmental protection, fundamental in the face of the climate emergency we are experiencing," the leader added.

 

The company Equinor presented the Environmental Impact Assessment report for the project notice for the imminent drilling of the CAN 100 block located off the coast of Mar del Plata. It comprises an area of ​​15,000 square kilometers and is the largest block in the North Argentina Basin. It is located on the continental slope, the main biological corridor of the Argentine Sea.

 

This area has been identified in 2014 by a group of marine scientists appointed by the Ministry of the Environment, as a candidate for a marine protected area, due to its relevance for marine ecosystems and for the conservation of biodiversity.

 

Equinor partnered with Shell and YPF to drill this block, which will be the first deep and ultra-deep water block in the Argentine Sea. Of Norwegian capital, this company has defined standards for the offshore exploration that it carries out in its country of origin. "If these parameters are taken into account, oil exploration in this region of the Argentine Sea could not be carried out," they say at Greenpeace.

 

 

Vueso assured that “there is no way to carry out this activity and at the same time protect the sea, it is a contradiction. If there are oil companies, there will be spills in the future ”.

 

The environmental organization assures that there is a study by the National University of the Center of the Province of Buenos Aires. The report determined that, if oil exploitation is carried out on the Argentine platform, the occurrence of spills is 100%, and that includes spills of large quantities.

 

According to estimates made by Rystad Energy, quoted in the statement, from 2026 the demand for oil will drop considerably worldwide. “To continue betting on oil is to direct investments towards an industry that will be obsolete in the near future. We must make a rapid transition to clean energy and stop invading the Argentine Sea with industries that will only bring more destruction, "concluded the Greenpeace spokeswoman.

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