Chevron (CVX) said Sunday it has restarted work on its first shale gas exploration well in Romania, a day after protests forced the U.S. energy giant to suspend the operation.
Chevron (CVX) said Sunday it has restarted work on its first shale gas
exploration well in Romania, a day after protests forced the U.S. energy giant
to suspend the operation.
Romanian police declared the area around the planned mine a "special
security zone" and installed check-points on all roads leading to the
nearby
village
of
Pungesti
after
Saturday's protests.
"Chevron can confirm that it has resumed activities in Pungesti
commune," in northeastern
Romania
, the
company said in a statement Sunday.
Hundreds of people, mainly villagers from Pungesti, broke through wire mesh
fences around Chevron's site on Saturday to protest against its plans to drill
for shale gas, forcing it to suspend work for the second time.
Nonstop protests have been staged for more than six weeks in the rural Romanian
village.
On Sunday, journalists were denied access to the area. Locals contacted by
telephone said there was a police officer stationed in front of every house.
Residents oppose the highly controversial drilling technique used to extract
shale gas known as "hydraulic fracturing" or "fracking".
Widely used in some
U.S.
states such as
Pennsylvania
and
North
Dakota
, it has been banned in
France
and
Bulgaria
because of the risks of water and air pollution.
A study this year by
Duke
University
in
the
U.S.
state
of
North Carolina
showed that fracking increases the risk of contaminated drinking water.
Across
Romania
,
thousands have taken to the streets to protest against shale gas over the past
three months.
Last Monday, Romanian riot police forcibly removed protesters from a makeshift
camp next to Chevron's drilling site in Pungesti.
Greenpeace slammed the operation as "a serious abuse against the freedom
of expression".
The camp installed on a private field with the owner's agreement was evacuated
on Saturday and access to it is now forbidden because "illegal equipment
was found there", police said.
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