A green light that makes ecologists see red. The Canadian company Vermilion Energy has just obtained authorization to operate eight new oil drilling wells in La Teste-de-Buch, in the Arcachon basin (Gironde), after a favorable opinion received on Monday at the end of a public inquiry, and while the exploitation of hydrocarbons will be gradually banned in France by 2040.
Vermilion plans to drill these eight new wells in order to “reach previously unexploited oil reserves” on the Cazaux site, where around fifty wells are already in operation, with production currently estimated at 1,500 barrels/day. The Vermilion group, the leading oil producer in France with 130 employees, holds the Cazaux concession until January 1, 2035, which has been operated since the 1960s.
“Legitimate public concerns”
At the end of the public inquiry conducted from August 28 to September 26, the investigating commissioner received 102 contributions, “reflecting the legitimate concerns of the public regarding the major issues linked to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming” , we can read in his report.
If she recognizes “certainly heightened concerns” following the monster fires of 2022 which ravaged 7,000 hectares of the La Teste-de-Buch forest, the commissioner notes that no local resident has reported “serious dysfunction” or “major nuisance” linked to the Cazaux concession.
Saying that she has “ignored general considerations on the future of oil extraction in France” beyond 2040, she also notes that “oil which is not produced in France would certainly be imported with a much higher environmental cost” .
“Incredible cynicism”
An opinion criticized by Vital Baude, regional advisor Europe Ecologie-Les Verts (EELV), who says he is “heartbroken, appalled” by the opinion rendered. “This argument which consists of saying that we are going to make short circuits of oil to pollute less, I find that incredibly cynical”, reacted this municipal councilor of Arcachon.
For him, it is particularly symbolic that this favorable opinion is given when the European Copernicus observatory has just reported, for the first time, an excess of more than 2°C, over one day, of the global average temperature. compared to the seasonal average in the pre-industrial era.
The Vermilion file is now in the hands of the prefect of Gironde who must issue an order authorizing or refusing the project. The executive passed a law in 2017 which provides for the gradual cessation of hydrocarbon exploitation by 2040.