Italian Government Plans To Amend 2010 Drilling Ban
From Platts
The Italian government plans to revoke a 2010 ban on offshore oil and gas drilling, permitting companies to start drilling operations within a 12-mile limit off the coast in “environmentally protected areas,” Italian Senator Francesco Ferrante said in a telephone interview.
The offshore drilling restrictions were introduced in 2010 following the Macondo disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Before the ban, the government had authorized Eur4.5 billion ($5.59 billion) of investment in offshore drilling. It banned these activities within five miles of the Italian coast and 12 miles off the protected areas.
