Chad halts oil drilling by CNPC unit

Chad has suspended indefinitely all oil drilling activities by a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) because environmental standards have been violated, Reuters reported, citing Chadian media. The decision affects the Koudalwa field roughly 200 km south of Chad’s capital. The CNPC subsidiary dug trenches and dumped crude oil without standard safeguards, later asking local Chadian workers to remove the crude without giving them protective gear, Chad’s oil minister, Djerassem Le Bemadjiel, told state radio late on Tuesday. “We found flagrant violations of environmental standards by the company … CNPC’s behavior was unacceptable,” said Le Bemadjiel.