DR Congo: EC launches environmental study on Albertine Rift

The European Commission is to launch a strategic environmental study of the area covered by three oil exploration blocks in the Albertine Rift Basin. The study will assess the best options for sustainable development of the area and help the government to take decisions on whether to authorise oil exploration. The study, to be followed by specific environmental impact studies, will offer cost/benefit and cost/efficiency analyses to help the government decide whether to develop the region’s hydrocarbons potential. The study will cover the Total-operated Block III, the open Block IV and SOCO International’s Block V, all of which include areas of the Virunga National Park.