Premier Matteo Renzi's cabinet
has set April 17 as the date for a referendum on offshore
drilling for oil and gas in Italy.
Italy's Constitutional Court gave the green light to the
referendum last month, a decision welcomed by regional councils
and environmental groups concerned about the effects of offshore
drilling on marine ecosystems.
The referendum will cover the duration of authorisations to
explore as well as already authorised drilling of fields. It was
proposed by regional assemblies who are objecting to drilling
platforms because of worries about seismic stability and the
environment.
The government has said there will be no new drilling in
Italy no matter how the referendum turns out.
Premier Matteo Renzi's government is reportedly mulling a
specific modification to its "Unblock Italy" infrastructure
projects decree related to the duration of drilling, which will
be the focus of the referendum approved by the court.
Earlier this week Irish oil and gas company Petroceltic
formally gave up seeking a prospecting permit in the southern
Adriatic Sea off Italy's Tremiti Islands.
The Tremiti are an archipelago located north of Puglia's
Gargano Peninsula, and form part of the Gargano national park.
Market conditions have changed since the company first
filed for the permit nine years ago, Petroceltic said in a
letter to the industry ministry.
The ministry said the move "is a step back in response to
strategic industrial needs, which the ministry acknowledges".
Petroceltic, whose local subsidiary has been in Italy since
2005, added it remains committed to its other operations in
Italy "within full respect of EU and State rules, according to
the highest industry standards, with maximum transparency and in
cooperation with local communities".
Petroceltic Italia Srl does oil and gas prospecting in the
central Adriatic Sea and in the Po Valley.
Italian environmentalists have long been fighting against
drilling in the Adriatic Sea.
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