The three permits are valid for one year and target three blocks, in Paltinis, Popeni and Silistea.
In December last year, Prime Minister Victor Ponta said negotiations with Chevron regarding the exploration and exploitation of shale gas will remain a priority for Romania’s Government.
In March 2012, Romania approved a series of gas exploration deals signed with Chevron, which allow the latter to drill for shale gas at three blocks in the Black Sea.
In May, the Ponta Cabinet imposed a moratorium on shale gas exploitation until European Union-commissioned studies to assess possible environmental damage of hydraulic fracturing are finalized. The moratorium will be lifted once the results of the studies are made public and if they show shale gas exploitation poses no environmental risk.
Chevron’s plans to drill for shale gas have sparked protests from environmentalists worried about possible side effects of hydraulic fracturing.
Chevron owns in Romania a shale gas exploration/exploration site in Barlad and three sites in Constanta.