Page 13 - LatAmOil Week 47 2022

LatAmOil BRAZIL LatAmOil

The increase in re-injection rates was accom- figure of around 57.19 mcm per day.
panied by a rise in output in October. The pre- The ANP data also showed that Brazil flared
liminary ANP data showed that Brazil extracted a total of 2.9 mcm per day of gas in October. This
some 148.7 mcm per day in that month, up by was down by 8% on the September 2022 figure
3.91% on the September 2022 figure of about of 3.15 mcm per day and by 33% on the October
143.1 mcm per day and by 13% on the October 2021 figure of around 4.33 mcm per day.
2021 figure of around 131.59 mcm per day. Brazil also made 15.1 mcm per day of gas
Meanwhile, the volume of gas available for available for use on production platforms in
sale on Brazil’s domestic market came to 54.9 October. This was up by 0.7% from the Sep-
mcm per day in October. This was 3.2% below tember 2022 figure of 15 mcm per day and by
the September 2022 figure of about 56.71 mcm 17% on the October 2021 figure of around 12.82
per day and 4% down from the October 2021 mcm per day. ™

ARGENTINA
Mar del Plata branch CGT urges courts to

overturn freeze on offshore seismic study

THE Mar del Plata branch of Argentina’s Gen- to gather seismic data from several blocks in the
eral Confederation of Labour (CGT) has pro- North Argentina basin. They began planning for
tested against Federal Judge Santiago Martin’s the project after securing a permit from Argen-
decision to suspend an oil and gas exploration tina’s government, under the leadership of Pres-
project off the coast of Mar del Plata, a resort city ident Alberto Fernandez, in November 2021.
around 400 km of Buenos Aires. However, the scheme has sparked a number
According a report from Mercopress, CGT’s of protests. In January, for example, thousands
Mar del Plata branch wrote in a letter to the of people took to the beaches in Mar del Plata to
court system that Martin’s order should be lifted protest the planned seismic campaign and voice
so that the national oil company (NOC) YPF concerns about the risks that oil exploration
and its partners Shell (UK) and Equinor (Nor- and drilling posed to local beaches and fishing
way) could begin work in the North Argentina grounds. Their complaints drew support from
basin. It described the judge’s insistence that residents of other coastal cities across Argentina,
more studies were needed to establish the safety many of whom staged similar protests on their
of the proposed offshore exploration project as own beaches.
spurious. “We believe that Judge Martin has a Subsequently, Guillermo Montenegro, the
position against hydrocarbon activity and he mayor of Mar del Plata, teamed up with envi-
will continue with his requests for studies and ronmental organisations to deliver a presenta-
information [indefinitely],” it wrote. tion criticising the plan to collect seismic data
The labour organisation also stressed its own from the offshore sites. In that presentation,
concern for environmental issues and said that the mayor and his supporters drew attention to
YPF and the international oil companies (IOCs) the potential for environmental damage, say-
had returned satisfactory answers to its ques- ing there could be permanent harm if a proper
tions. “[We] are the first ones concerned about assessment was not conducted before the studies
the care of the environment and to sustain and took place. ™
improve the tourism industry in our city,” it
wrote. “For this reason, we have asked for all the
explanations and safeguards in terms of labour
and environmental safety, and the answers have
been clear and forceful.”
Additionally, it urged the court system not
to overlook the potential economic benefits
that oil and gas exploration and development
might bring to the area. “[All] the opinions were
absolutely concurrent: if offshore hydrocarbon
exploration is successful, this will mean an enor-
mous opportunity for economic, scientific and
social development for our city, for the province
and for the country,” it said.
YPF, Shell and Equinor have said they hope YPF, Equinor and Shell want to collect data from offshore blocks (Image: Equinor)

Week 47 23•November•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P13