THE ecology minister, Philippe Martin, has definitively rejected proposed gas drilling plans that would have covered the departments of Corrèze, Dordogne and the Lot.
The Permis de Brive covered an area around the east of the Dordogne and initial plans submitted by Singapore based, Hexagon Gas, were given a favourable reading but now they have been firmly rejected.
Plans had been put forward to explore the potential of gaz de houille, or coal gas, across an area of around 1,777 square kilometres running from the south of Brive-la-Gaillarde to Sarlat, and then from the south west of Sarlat towards Villefranche-du-Périgord (disclaimer: my local village).
Opposition to drilling techniques such as fracking has been strong across France, with the Constitutional Court blocking a drilling company from exploring the potential of shale gas earlier this month.
More: Shale gas in France
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