The Falkland Islands Government (FIG) has concluded its public consultation on a revised Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) concerning the extraction of oil from a field 136 miles north of the Falkland Islands which was announced on July 2.
Navitas Petroleum Development and Production Ltd, also known as Navitas, an Israeli company responsible for extracting the oil, announced the revised EIS which was shortly followed by the public consultation which ran from July 2 to August 13.
In total, 25 representations from individuals, businesses and other organisations including several FIG departments were received, Merco Press said.
The licence for the Sea Lion field is owned by Rockhopper Exploration – a UK-based company. The oil field is believed to contain over 300 million barrels of oil. Navitas’s process will involve drilling 23 wells.
Navitas now have 28 days to review the submissions and provide FIG with a response, which may result in further revisions to the EIS, which will be presented to the Executive Council of the Falklands Islands (ExCo). After this, the representations and the response are set to be made public.
However, the UK’s plans have angered many in Argentina, who have threatened serious legal retaliation if the UK proceeds with its drilling plans.
Gustavo Melella, the governor of Tierra del Fuego, an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, previously said: “We categorically and forcefully reject the new illegal British action, which aims to carry out a popular consultation in the Malvinas Islands…”
He accused Britain of trying to illegally plunder its hydrocarbon assets “in flagrant violation of international law”, vowing to retaliate against the move with all “legal tools” at his disposal.
He continued: “Just as we did with all the companies that tried to carry out actions in Malvinas without our due authorisation as legitimate provincial authorities, we will proceed in the same way and we will make use of the legal tools at our disposal in pursuit of our rights.”
The governor argued that the drilling would inflict “unprecedented” economic and environmental damage on the Falklands and the wider region.
Similarly, Senator Cristina López accused the UK of “violating our sovereignty” and urged President Javier Milei to take action.
“From Tierra del Fuego we denounce the inaction of Javier Milei in defence of our natural resources,” López said.
Argentina’s President had previously said in an interview with the BBC that he wanted the Falklands to be returned to Argentina through peaceful diplomatic negotiations as Argentina does not “seek conflict”, but admitted it could take decades.