Algarve anti-oil group PALP is holding its first public meeting tomorrow (May 30) at the Faro Spot Café designed to welcome anyone with “ideas and opinions” on the issue.
The event starts at 4pm and will present talks by environmental specialists, followed by a debate.
PALP – standing for Plataforma Algarve Livre de Petróleo and made up of citizens and NGOs – describes itself as a group that seeks to “defend the Algarve as a sustainable region and oppose local oil exploration”.
In a recent open letter, the group warned of the “importance of opposing oil exploration along the coast”.
“Apart from the risks posed to the environment, tourism and the local people, there are hardly any financial or economic advantages for the Portuguese government (over oil exploration) as profits will go into the pockets of a private company,” it explained.
The likelihood of exploration in the Algarve remains uncertain, but oil giant Partex has said that if it finds “large enough” deposits of oil and gas, it will forge ahead as soon as possible.
