Perenco's black oil in the DRC

2022-11-09

MALELA - This investigation documents the company's environmental damage in a Mangrove natural park, foremost among which is its ground-level flaring, a practice that has been banned in the country since 2015, and which is the cause of very high CO2 emissions and very significant nuisance for agricultural activities, the main means of subsistence for the populations.

In western Congo, on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, gas flares mark the landscape. They are the symbol of the controversial oil exploitation of the Franco-British operator, Perenco, specialised in so-called mature wells.

With a near-monopoly in the country's hydrocarbon industry, the multinational has set up operations in a natural area near Muanda, where it is the subject of 167 accusations of serious pollution by local associations, international NGOs and university researchers.

This report also describes the methods used by Perenco to ensure its impunity on environmental issues.

On the right: Image by Baron Nkoy.

Team members

Lea Szulewicz

Lea Szulewicz is an independent French journalist focused on environmental investigation.

Dorian Cabrol

Dorian Cabrol is a French freelance journalist.

Alexandre Brutelle

Alexandre Brutelle is a foreign reporter and freelance investigative journalist.

Baron Nkoy

Baron Nkoy is a freelance journalist and documentary filmmaker on economic and social development.

Supported

€12,350 allocated on 17/05/2022

ENV1/2022/086

Grant

Environmental Journalism

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