US company Chevron will start the effective exploration for shale gas in the Romanian village Pungesti within two or three weeks, according to company officials, reports local Mediafax.

The drilling process will last 90 days. During this period, specialists hired by the company will collect soil samples to be analyzed in laboratories.

In October last year, Chevron obtained the permits to build its first exploration well for shale gas in Vaslui county, at Pungesti, with all other permits in place.

On Tuesday, April 8, over 50 locals gathered in front of the perimeter owned by Chevron at Silistea-Pungesti, chanting slogans against the exploration of shale gas in the area, such as “Water, air and nature, not fracking, not cyanide,” or “Romania is our country, Chevron will never poison it”.

At the same time, the company organized an “Open Day” event for journalists who were allowed to enter the site.  The protesters attacked the journalists’ bus with eggs and stones, according to local news agency Mediafax. Nobody was injured during these incidents.

On Sunday, other protests against shale gas extraction through hydraulic fraction or “fracking” were staged in several cities in Romania, including the capital.

Last year, several other protests against shale gas exploration were organized in Romania. The protests were triggered by concerns that exploration would be harmful to the environment, and coincided with protests against gold mining in Central Romania, at Rosia Montana, where the planned used of cyanide also caused concern.

During the “Open Day” event, company representatives said that 56 people from Vaslui county were employed for the works conducted at the Silistea-Pungesti perimeter, out of which 32 people were villagers from Pungesti, according to local Agerpres.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com