Spain clears oil exploration off Canary Islands

Madrid - Spain's governnment has given oil group Repsol the all-clear to explore for oil and gas off the coast of the tourism-dependent Canary Islands, sparking an outcry from environmental groups.

The industry ministry gave Repsol a three-year licence to drill in three sites some 50 kilometres off the coast of the Spanish archipelago, which lies off the northwest coast of Africa.

The exploration, approved in a decision published on Wednesday in the official state bulletin, is opposed by local and environmental groups, which warn of damaging consequences of any oil spill or from vibrations caused by the exploration.

Greepeace, WWF, Friends of the Earth and Ecologistas en Accion and SEO Birdlife announced they would appeal the decision in Spanish and European courts, saying the process had been littered with "irregularities".

Spain's environment ministry had given a favourable environmental impact statement to the exploration in May, saying its decision was backed by "rigorous" scientific research.

Of all the advanced economies in the OECD, Spain is the most reliant on energy imports, buying 99.9% of its oil and gas.