DRC: tenders for oil and gas blocks, Budimbu reassures ICCN on respect for the environment

After the sale of the oil and gas resources of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) estimated respectively at more than 22 billion barrels of oil and 66 billion normal cubic meters of gas located in Lake Kivu, the Congolese Minister of Hydrocarbons , Didier Budimbu, continues to reassure the various partners on the respect for the environment which should characterize these operations.

To this end, Minister Didier Budimbu had a working session with the Director General of the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN), on Monday August 15, 2022, to shed light on the gray areas.

The ICCN has approached the Ministry of Hydrocarbons to obtain assurances that the ecosystem will not suffer during exploitation.

For ICCN, it was important that Minister Budimbu undertake to enforce environmental standards so that nature is truly safeguarded to the delight of the Congolese population.

These invitations to tender had provoked several reactions from non-governmental organizations concerning the risk of environmental pollution.

Washington had also expressed its concerns about the sale of 27 oil and 3 gas blocks which could jeopardize the environment.

This question had even been the subject of exchanges between the Congolese Government and the American delegation led by the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.

The Congolese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Christophe Lutundula, wanted to reassure his counterpart and public opinion that the DRC is not going to abandon its commitments to be a country-solution in the protection of the environment and the fight against climate change.

Thus, the two parties have agreed to the establishment of a framework that will address environmental issues related to the exploration and exploitation of oil and gas, given that certain blocks concerned touch peatlands.