Bemolanga is a large oil sands deposit in the onshore Morondava Basin in the west part of Madagascar. The deposit was discovered in the early 1900s but was known to locals for centuries. The field is located north of the Tsimiroro heavy oil field and east of the town of Morafenobe. |
Description:
Basic Data
| Name of conflict: | TOTAL & MOIL Bemolonga Tar sands, Madagascar |
| Country: | Madagascar |
| State or province: | Melaky Region |
| Location of conflict: | Bemolanga District |
| Accuracy of location | HIGH (Local level) |
Source of Conflict
| Type of conflict. 1st level: | Fossil Fuels and Climate Justice/Energy |
| Type of conflict. 2nd level: | Oil and gas exploration and extraction |
| Specific commodities: | Crude oil |
Project Details and Actors
| Project details | The Bemolanga Field in Block 3102 has been studied extensively, by several companies over the years, and work has accelerated since MOIL took over the block in 2005 and TOTAL joined as Joint Venture partner in 2008. Results indicate that bitumen volumes are at least as large as initial estimates and bitumen quality is in line with prior work at approximately 5.5% by weight in the ore, but this is half the concentration found in similar Canadian deposits. |
| Project area: | 717500 |
| Level of Investment for the conflictive project | $100 million (TOTAL), $500- $1500 million (MOIL) |
| Type of population | Rural |
| Affected Population: | 100,000 – 120,000 |
| Start of the conflict: | 2009 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | Total SA from France MADAGASCAR OIL from Bermuda Madagascar Oil SA (MOIL) from Madagascar - Subsidiary of Madagascar Oil Limited, Bermuda |
| Relevant government actors: | Economic Development Board of Madagascar |
| International and Finance Institutions | Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) from United Kingdom |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | The Malagasy environmental civil society ALLIANCE VOAHARY GASY (AVG), WWF Madagascar, Petition 'Say no to Totals mining plans in Madagascar', http://www.gn.apc.org/network/news/say-no-totals-mining-plans-madagascar, Petition 'Stop tar sands in Madagascar - write to Total CEO now'. Also, NGO Voaharisoa |
Conflict & Mobilization
| Intensity | MEDIUM (street protests, visible mobilization) |
| Reaction stage | In REACTION to the implementation (during construction or operation) |
| Groups mobilizing: | Indigenous groups or traditional communities International ejos Local ejos Neighbours/citizens/communities Pastoralists NGO Voaharisoa Local activists Friends of the Earth Europe (FoE) Collective for Land Defence in Madagascar (TANY) World Development Movement (WDM) Oil Sands Truth Madagascar Environmental Justice Network (MEJN) |
| Forms of mobilization: | Creation of alternative reports/knowledge Development of a network/collective action Involvement of national and international NGOs Official complaint letters and petitions Campaign on social media and in the international level. Collaboration with conservationist groups. Organisation of a public meeting in Bemolanga to inform the local population about the impacts of tar sands mining and help them to negotiate with the french company TOTAL. In may 2011, environmental campaigner from the Malagasy environmental civil society 'Alliance Voahary Gasy' (AVG) went in UK and spoke at public meetings in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London, and to many journalists calling on Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) not to finance Total's involvement in tar sands extraction, and for the UK Government to set environmental and ethical investment criteria for RBS. The Malagasy representative also went in Europe with the Canadian First Nations delegation to speak to EU parliamentary members, French government and French investors to address tar sands impacts on First Nation communities. |
Impacts
| Environmental Impacts | Visible: Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Fires, Food insecurity (crop damage), Global warming, Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Soil contamination, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover, Groundwater pollution or depletion Potential: Air pollution, Desertification/Drought, Floods (river, coastal, mudflow), Noise pollution, Soil erosion, Waste overflow, Oil spills, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physico-chemical, biological) quality, Large-scale disturbance of hydro and geological systems, Reduced ecological / hydrological connectivity, Mine tailing spills |
| Health Impacts | Potential: Malnutrition, Mental problems including stress, depression and suicide, Health problems related to alcoholism, prostitution, Accidents, Exposure to unknown or uncertain complex risks (radiation, etc…) |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Visible: Increase in Corruption/Co-optation of different actors, Displacement, Loss of livelihood, Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures, Land dispossession, Loss of landscape/sense of place Potential: Increase in violence and crime, Lack of work security, labour absenteeism, firings, unemployment, Militarization and increased police presence, Social problems (alcoholism, prostitution, etc..), Specific impacts on women, Violations of human rights |
| Other socio-economic impacts | The development of a commercial large scale tar sands industry in Madagascar would have significant social and economic impacts on local communities. |
Outcome
| Project Status | Stopped |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Fostering a culture of peace Project temporarily suspended |
| Proposal and development of alternatives: | STOP TAR SANDS MINING IN MADAGASCAR |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | Not Sure |
| Briefly explain: | Tar sands (also referred to as oil sands) are a combination of clay, sand, water, and bitumen, a heavy black viscous oil. Tar sands can be mined and processed to extract the oil-rich bitumen, which is then refined into oil. Tar sand deposits are mined, usually using strip mining or open pit techniques, or the oil is extracted by underground heating with additional upgrading. Oil sands recovery processes include extraction and separation systems to separate the bitumen from the clay, sand, and water that make up the tar sands. Bitumen also requires additional upgrading before it can be refined. Because it is so viscous (thick), it also requires dilution with lighter hydrocarbons to make it transportable by pipelines. Both mining and processing of tar sands involve a variety of environmental impacts, such as global warming and greenhouse gas emissions, disturbance of mined land; impacts on wildlife and air and water quality. The development of a commercial tar sands industry in Madagascar would also have significant social and economic impacts on local communities. Of special concern in the relatively arid western Region of Madagascar is the large amount of water required for tar sands processing; currently, tar sands extraction and processing require several barrels of water for each barrel of oil produced, though some of the water can be recycled. In 2012, the French company TOTAL suspended its activity in Bemolanga. Up to now, MOILs intended activities in Bemolanga have not yet produced anything concrete. But the environmental civil society in Madagascar is still warning the public opinion. |
Sources & Materials
| Juridical relevant texts related to the conflict (laws, legislations, EIAs, etc) |
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| References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries |
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| Related media links to videos, campaigns, social network | ||||||||||
| Other comments: | According to some analysts, MOIL does not possess the financial standing to simultaneously undertake the development of Bemolanga and Tsimiroro. Thats why they probably suspended the tar sands mining in Bemolanga. |
Meta information
| Contributor: | Vahinala RAHARINIRINA |
| Last update | 18/08/2019 |
| Conflict ID: | 1172 |
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