The county council in Vaslui County, Romania awarded last December Chevron the right to drill an exploratory well for shale gas in a locality within the Barlad concession that covers some 600,000 hectares in North East Romania.

Chevron will drill its first exploratory well in the Paltinis village, within the Bacesti locality in rural Vaslui.

People in this region took to the streets three times last year to protest the exploitation of shale gas through franking.

Dumitru Buzatu, president of the Vaslui county council, said that Chevron’s permitting is legal.