Argentina’s Energy Secretariat Martinez Comments on Offshore Exploration

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(Energy Analytics Institute, 9.Jan.2022) — Argentina’s government approved in late December 2021 an environmental license for state owned YPF together with Equinor and Shell to move forward with seismic activities offshore in the CAN 100 block. Argentina’s Energy Secretariat Darío Martínez commented on the news amid protests across Argentina against offshore drilling in a series of Twitter posts on 9 Jan. 2022. What follows are highlights from those tweets:

— “The Argentina we want and need is a country in constant development, with energy sovereignty and social justice for every family throughout the national territory. This development that we seek is being carried out with an environmental perspective, and includes the secretariat working together with the Environmental Ministry.”

— “Energy is a very important resource for the country. It is a human right, it generates work, it promotes technological development and at the same time it reduces imports in dollars. It allows us to generate that currency in our country.”

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— “To continue advancing we need to produce and that means more energy, to generate more work, promote technological development, reduce imports and generate more money for the country.”

— “There are currently 36 wells in production in the Austral Basin (Tierra del Fuego and Santa Cruz) where 17% of the gas that we Argentines consume is produced, and which also serves to generate electricity.”

— “The [offshore] exploration will be carried out more than 300km from the coast, in deep and ultra-deep waters, following all the corresponding protocols.”

— “It will not harm tourism or fishing activity, we are going to control and require companies to comply with all environmental regulations.”

–“ Argentina needs more and more energy, we are breaking consumption records. This type of exploration is a great step for us to continue to have the energy we need… and getting closer every day to energy self-sufficiency.”

— “With only royalties of 1% from offshore production, our country can finance works such as: 25,000km of two-lane, two-way national routes; 25,000km of high voltage lines; 3,000 medium complexity health centers; more than 6,000 technical and professional training schools; 500,000 homes; and 110,000 blocks of urban pavement.”

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By Aaron Simonsky. © Energy Analytics Institute (EAI). All Rights Reserved.

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