Soco International Plc has come up against British government opposition with regard to its oil exploration activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, being called upon to act responsibly and sustainably in its search for oil reserves.

The London-based oil company is undertaking extensive exploration of the 7,500 square-kilometre area known as Block V, located to the east of the DRC along the border with Uganda.  The block, marked out by the Congolese government, also comprises a section of the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Virunga National Park.

The Park is the oldest national park in Africa, also providing a home for the remaining population of the region’s mountain gorillas.

While Congolese law expressly prohibits extraction-oriented activities within its national parks, Soco claims it is conducting exploration in the region at the invitation of the DRC government, with the company disclosing that the agreement was reached in 2006 in the form of a Production Sharing Contract which was ratified by Presidential degree in 2010.

The area, known as the Albertine Graben, may be of particular economic interest given that Uganda has recently disclosed that oil reserves discovered on its section of the geological basin promise an estimated 3.5 billion barrels.

Recent comments by the Hydrocarbons Minister of the DRC, Crispin Atama Tabe, have prompted wide-spread speculation given that the Minister seems to be hinting that the country would make exceptions and allow production in the area if substantial reserves are uncovered.  The Minister told Reuters in an interview last week: “The DRC has the right to know what resources it has under the earth, even if it’s in the park or the forest, anywhere…We’re going to evaluate the quantity of the deposit. If it’s very significant we’ll compare the value of the park with the oil… We’ll see whether we’ll respect the park or not. It’s up to us.”

The British government yesterday spoke out against the British-registered company’s activities, and called upon the Congolese government to “fully respect the international conventions to which it is signatory”.

A government spokesperson made a statement, Reuters reports, calling upon Soco and the DRC government to act responsibly, saying:  “Foreign investments in sectors such as hydrocarbons … can play a vital role in boosting development of the DRC … Such investment needs to be done responsibly and sustainably, in compliance with local law and conforming to international standards”.

Soco insists that it is acting in compliance with a contractual agreement made with the Congolese government, and has stated that it intends to continue explorations until such time as the DRC authorities instruct them to cease activities.  Soco has nonetheless made assurances that: “[SOCO] will never seek to have operations in the mountain gorilla habitat, the Virunga Volcanoes or the Virunga equatorial rainforest.”

Were production to be given the go-ahead, completion of the necessary preliminary explorations and construction of pumping facilities would take at least three years.  In addition, explorations in the region have currently been halted, given the dangers due to violent clashes between the government and rebels in the area.