After months of controversy and protests against the exploration and possibly extraction of hydrocarbons on the coast of sea of silverprovince of Buenos Aires, both the governor of the district, Axel Kicillof, and the head of advisers of the province defended the initiative that will allow corroborating whether there really are hydrocarbon deposits in the area.
After receiving a favorable ruling that authorized offshore exploration off the coast of sea of silverthe Kicillof officials explained the reasons why the town (currently the main tourist destination in the country) will benefit economically from job creation and at the country level, they project that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will rise between 2 and 3%.
The chief adviser communicated the advantages that could arise from this mega energy venture, if it materialized, although, in the first instance, he limited himself to enunciating the benefits of exploration only. The operation that will be carried out some 300 kilometers from the coast of sea of silverAccording to this named official, Carlos Bianco, “it will be able to further develop services that would increase productivity, in addition to hotels, gastronomy.”
To which he added “the activity must be carefully done if it is carried out. We cannot deprive ourselves in the Province of exploiting such an important economic resource. The province is respectful of all opinions and careful, which is why it created a Ministry of the Environment. We are concerned about the environmental impact. Having these resources off the Buenos Aires coast is very important”.
Protests against the oil companies
In the first week of January 2022, two peaceful demonstrations were held against the oil companies that obtained the seismic exploration permit to find out if there are exploitable hydrocarbon deposits on the Buenos Aires coast, 300 kilometers offshore. The studies would be carried out by the Norwegian oil company, Equinor together with YPF and Shell.
In the town the ideas of two sides converge, on the one hand the environmental organizations, citizens and tourists who assure that with the start of the project an environmental catastrophe is coming, and on the other, the oil companies involved together with the Buenos Aires Government that allege that the initiative is within the parameters that seek to defund non-renewable energies by 2030.
