The Ministry of Energy, Mines and Energy Transition has categorically denied the existence of an area, a company, a platform or an oil well in Borj El Khadhra (Tataouine governorate), called “petroleum of France”, adding that the nearest oil well is 170 km from the identified area, namely El Borma (Tozeur).
“This area does not have any platforms, wells or oil leaks,” the energy ministry said in a statement on Friday, noting that the aerial photo from the online mapping service “Google Maps” showing an area in the village of Borj El Khadhra identified as a “lake” of French oil “and widely disseminated on social networks, has sparked controversy.
The ministry added that Google Maps is not a legal or official reference for the Tunisian state or any other country, adding that “what appears on the image in green or black colour are water and algae with palm trees, canes and various plants around them and the enlargement of the image can make these plants, which cannot grow in oil, visible. ”
The ministry added that it wants to bring these details although it is not a serious matter.
It should be noted that the president of Al-Karama coalition, Seif Eddine Makhlouf published, on Thursday, on his official Facebook page the image of Google Maps and called on the energy ministry to provide clarifications.
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