Romanian Prime Minister Mihai Razvan Ungureanu (in picture) recently said to NGO members that at the beginning of April, he sent an official letter to Chevron asking them to make the contracts public and that he is waiting for a response.

At the end of March, the Romanian Government approved three concession agreements for exploration, development and exploitation of shale gas, between The National Agency for Mineral Resources and Chevron, the second largest oil group from USA. The agreements were for the areas Vama Veche, Adamclisi and Costinesti, in Constanta county, on Romania's seaside. Chevron has also the rights to explore for shale gas in Barlad.

At the beginning of April, Tom Holst, the Chevron manager for Romania,  said in a TV show that the company he represents has nothing against the agreement to publicize the contracts for the three perimeters.

He also said that this decision to keep the contract terms secret came from the Romanian state and not from Chevron. The Romanian Government also said that the contract terms are secret because it is required by law but they can be made public if both of the sides agree to it.

After a couple of days of heated exchanges in the Romanian media, which reported on Chevron’s upcoming shale gas activities in Romania, the US group issued a statement saying it will only use conventional technology for exploration in Vaslui county this year and that it is not planning any drilling in Constanta county.

For the time being, a standard study is planned, in order to avoid the areas with cultural patrimony, cities and villages and areas of ecological interest. Only after this study and after the exploration period, will Chevron take into account exploitation, which would last for five years.

American company Chevron said it will invest USD 65 million in exploring for shale gas on Romania’s coast, at Vama Veche, Costineşti and Adamclisi. The company still needs clearance from the country’s Environment Ministry. Former Environment Minister Laszlo Borbely said he will only give the greenlight for the project if it doesn’t pose any risks to the environment. Borbely resigned and was replaced by Attila Korodi, whom Romanian president Traian Basescu already asked for a decision on the key environmental projects the Rosia Montana gold mine and Chevron's shale gas exploration.

Ioana Toader