Premium article: The Environmental Agency in Vaslui has started the environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedure for shale gas exploration

 

The Environmental Protection Agency in Vaslui (APM Vaslui) has started the EIA procedure for shale gas exploration in the three blocks in the county for which Chevron had requested the environmental permit under the town planning certificates.

[cleeng_content id=”990414768″ price=”3.99″ description=”Buy a translation now. The article has 2513 characters with spaces. “]Chevron Romania has submitted to APM Vaslui three applications for issuing an environmental permit for planning and drilling works for shale gas exploration wells in the localities of Popeni (Gagesti), Silistea (Pungesti) and Paltinis (Bacesti). The three blocks are the same for which in December 2012 and in January 2013 Chevron obtained from Vaslui County Council the town planning certificates. “Based on Chevron Romania requests, APM Vaslui has issued the decisions of initial environmental impact assessment for the three projects. Depending on assessments and the full documentation that the company is obliged to submit to the file, it will be decided whether to issue the environmental permit”, spokesperson of APM Vaslui Doina Ungureanu stated on Friday. According to her, the issue of the environmental permit for shale gas exploration in Vaslui County lasts between 30 and 90 days, depending on how fast the documentation requested by APM Vaslui is submitted to the file, under the legislation in force. Economy Minister Varujan Vosganian stated on Thursday that he supported the shale gas exploration activity, because it will bring information concerning Romania’s available resources and potential exploitation, using the new technologies. “In the case of shale gas we should have some elements to see if the development is worth being made. We could perform an exploration activity to know what the situation is in Romania, so that later to start exploitation using the new technologies”, Vosganian stated, showing at the same time that environmental permits were needed. Vaslui County Council issued, in December and January, three town planning certificates for as many blocks in Vaslui County, where the U.S. company Chevron plans to conduct prospecting operations for a potential shale gas exploitation. With a one-year validity, the three town planning certificates were issued for areas outside the built-up area ranging between 35,000sqm and 73,400sqm of land in the area of localities Paltinis (Bacesti), Popeni (Gagesti) and Silistea (Pungesti). Chevron plans to start in the second half this year the drilling of an exploration well in the shale gas block from Barlad and will initiate seismic studies for the three blocks in Constanta County. [/cleeng_content]

Original source in Romanian: 

http://www.mediafax.ro/economic/agentia-de-mediu-vaslui-a-inceput-procedura-de-evaluare-a-impactului-explorarii-gazelor-de-sist-10622547