Bota worried with Algarve off-shore drilling

The contract involves the Portuguese state and a consortium formed by Spain’s “Repsol” and Germany’s “RWE” power giant. Bota also questions the socialist executive as to the business sense of the Deep Off-Shore “Bacia do Alentejo” contract, which takes in the maritime area of the Costa Vicentina (nature reserve).

In declarations to TSF radio, Bota said “if the Algarve’s beaches came to be destroyed by a black sea (of oil), it would signal the end of Portuguese tourism”.

In other words, huge risks are being taken for minimum benefits.

“The false idea that the country could become rich from oil is being created, along with the notion that we will have cheaper oil and petrol.

It’s all bogus because everything that may be extracted will belong to the consortium and private businesses involved – and they’ll put their “profits” on to the market price” he claimed.