France has a little oil in its soil: it produces 1% of its consumption. Two new drilling projects are in the works, but both face strong local opposition.
The first, the most advanced, is in the countryside, in Nonville, in Seine-et-Marne, 80 km from Paris. There are a few cisterns there and a declining producing well. It can be spotted by the assembly of valves and green pipes protruding from the ground. “Today, the well produces around 50 to 60 barrels per day, indicates Philippe Pont, the president of the company Brigde Energies, which has been exploiting this small deposit since 2012. This well, initially produced 85 barrels per day, so we are going to drill two more wells. To compensate for this loss of production, and also because we have the authorization to produce it until 2040.”
Because from 2040, the exploitation of oil and gas will be prohibited on French soil. This is the limit set by the Hulot law, passed in 2017. By then, Philippe Pont intends to amortize his initial investment of 12 million euros for the first three wells he drilled on the site. With the drop in production, “the activity is not profitable”he said. It plans an investment of 13 million euros for the two new wells. The site supports 3 employees and nearly 25 indirect jobs.
“French oil is produced in particular with carbon-free energy, defends the president of the company. This pump is entirely electric. However, when you bring oil from Saudi Arabia or Iraq, the big ships pollute. And today, we have a carbon impact that is two to three times less than imported oil. So as long as we consume it, why not produce it in France?”
The company obtained state authorization for these two new drillings, by an order from the Seine-et-Marne prefecture. But several associations and municipalities are demanding the cancellation of this authorization, in particular to protect water resources, because the oil exploitation is located in a catchment area, sensitive to pollution. However, to fetch this oil at a depth of 1,500 meters, the company will have to cross a water table, which supplies the taps of the inhabitants of several towns around Nonville and part of Paris. Nearly 25 million liters of water are drawn from it every day.
“It’s a potential ecological disaster., estimates Dan Lert, president of the Eau de Paris authority and environmentalist deputy to the mayor of Paris. SIf there was pollution of the water table, either at the time of drilling, or at the time of exploitation of these new oil wells by spilling hydrocarbons, that would condemn the use of drinking water sources which supply 180,000 people.”
A risk according to him too high “for a paltry production of oil: it’s the equivalent of a gas station in Paris and that’s what’s astounding about this decision. We must protect water rather than oil”, he pleads. But “the risk is almost zero”, replies the boss of Bridge Energies. He points out that 24 wells have already been drilled on the deposit since 1959, without contaminating this water. The company, however, promises not to start drilling before the decision of the Melun administrative court, expected next year.
A second project for new drilling is causing just as much controversy, in the Arcachon basin, in Gironde. The Canadian company Vermilion Energy wants to drill up to eight new wells there. Its authorization request is currently being processed. The project received a favorable opinion after the public inquiry, and it is now up to the State to decide, via the Gironde prefecture. The company, the largest oil producer in France, does not wish to comment while awaiting the decision.
Opponents want to block the project. Natalie Hervé, one of the spokespersons for the “Stop Pétrole Bassin d’Arcachon” collective, relies on the State’s commitments: “If we can’t stop eight new oil wells, how do we hope to start an energy transition,” she asks herself. We're not saying 'stop oil tomorrow', we're just saying: 'no new projects, neither elsewhere nor here'. Symbolically, it's a really strong sign to say 'stop'. Let's show it at least in France, since we must be the first nation to get away from fossil fuels.” Because this is the objective set by President Emmanuel Macron in 2022.
The executive therefore finds itself faced with this thorny question: is it really reasonable to drill these new wells? He must weigh everything in his balance, with on the one hand the law, which still authorizes new drilling on deposits already in exploitation. On the other, the need to move away from our dependence on fossil fuels. This is one of the priorities stated by the Minister of Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher. Her office assures franceinfo that she “would prefer that this Girondin project not be carried out“But the sensitive decision will be taken with Matignon and Bercy at the end of the year, or at the beginning of next year. The interministerial position will then be transmitted to the Gironde prefecture.
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