Equinor faces fierce opposition over plans for seismic campaign in Argentine Sea

Norwegian energy giant Equinor is planning to conduct seismic exploration activities in the waters of the Argentine Sea but environmentalists claim that the development of the offshore oil industry there would be disastrous for coastal communities and their livelihoods.

Equinor has committed to carrying out 3D seismic surveys in all its licences in the Northern Argentina Basin, within the first exploration period. There are plans for two surveys, one covering CAN_114 and one covering CAN_108, extending into CAN_100. The plan is to mobilise the seismic vessel from the Port of Buenos Aires.

In CAN_108, Equinor holds a 100 per cent interest. In CAN_100, the Norwegian company and Argentina’s YPF each hold a 35 per cent interest and Shell holds the remaining 30 per cent following a farm-in in January 2021. Finally, Equinor and YPF each hold a 50 per cent stake in CAN_114.

According to Equinor’s current plan, the seismic operations will begin during the fourth quarter of 2022 with operations expected to last between 100 and 150 days.

Greenpeace Argentina has been campaigning against these projects for over two years and it had previously stopped the efforts to begin the seismic exploration over acreage located offshore Argentina. However, Equinor’s revised proposal has recently been accepted and the environmentalists are now demanding for it to be annulled and for the suspension to remain in place.

Namely, in January 2022, a legal action was initiated by, among others, Greenpeace Argentina, demanding the cessation or suspension of all seismic activities off the coast of General Pueyrredón, on the Atlantic coast of Buenos Aires, by Equinor. The demand for the approval of seismic exploration in the Argentine Sea to be declared unconstitutional, and null and void, was filed as a class action lawsuit.

In February, the Federal Court in Mar del Plata issued a precautionary decision to immediately suspend the approval of the project – secured by Equinor in December 2021 – for the seismic acquisition campaign, covering the areas CAN_108, CAN_100 AND CAN_114, effectively delaying oil activity in the sea for several months.

The court decision imposed on the company to refrain from initiating the exploration tasks related to the project, until a final judgment is issued.

In order to continue the project, Equinor was asked by the country’s authorities to provide a new Environmental Impact Statement, which would complement the one already issued, and would be integrated with the studies on possible cumulative impacts. Among other things, Equinor was asked to update and improve mitigation measures related to marine fauna.

Earlier this month, Argentina’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development informed that the Secretary of Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Innovation resolved to approve the update of the Mitigation Measures and Environmental Management Plan for the seismic campaign as well as approve the Report on direct, indirect, cumulative and synergistic impacts complementary to the environmental impact study (EIS).

The control and supervision of compliance with this EIS, and its corresponding Environmental Management Plan and complementary regulations, will be in charge of the Secretariat of Environmental Control and Monitoring of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development.

However, Greenpeace claims that the activities continue to be suspended until the Federal Justice lifts the current precautionary measure in place. The group says the resolution does not comply with the precepts of the Escazú Agreement, an international treaty that “promotes the rights of all people to access environmental information, to public participation in decisions that affect them, and to guarantee access to environmental justice.”

Therefore, Greenpeace Argentina submitted a letter to the Justice Department demanding that this latest resolution be annulled and that the suspension remains in force.

The organisation believes that this latest resolution “exposes the plans of the Argentine government to continue investing in fossil fuels, and therefore deepen the climate crisis with misleading promises of development.”

“Greenpeace will continue working so that the rights of citizens are respected and public protest will continue against the expansion of fossil fuel extraction and production until we achieve a definitive no to seismic exploration and oil exploitation in the Argentine Sea,” the organisation said.

Offshore Energy has reached out to Equinor, asking whether the project will be moving forward this year. A spokesperson for Equinor told us the company is unable to give any precise estimate on the seismic survey at this time. “The seismic activity will take place in line with the judicial process,” the spokesperson added.

It is worth reminding that this is not the first time for Equinor to face such challenges when it comes to the development of oil and gas projects with the Bay du Nord in Canada and Rosebank in the UK being the most recent ones to face the opposition from environmental groups.