Filenews 24 September 2021 - by Angelos Nikolaou
Everyone is hanging on to the decision of the Cyprus Ports Authority which is considering in its next session the concession of industrial plots in the Vasilikos area for the purpose of creating private power stations. It is noted that the plots of the proposed developments are in the best section on the seaside with the total value of the land at prices of 1/1/2018 reaching €27.3 million.
The issue revealed last August by "F" was addressed by the parliamentary Audit Committee, where its members were informed about the approval in principle of requests to the companies Bioland Promithia and Lysarea Energia for a license to use a space owned by the Authority, provided that the companies obtain the necessary licenses from the competent state agencies. The decision of the Board of Directors of the Authority is expected to be taken next Tuesday, September 28th. Information on the decision taken by the previous Board of Directors shortly before the end of his term of office awaits both the Ministry of Transport and the Audit Office.
The nine communities of Vasilikos called on the ALK to proceed with the annulment of the decision citing a lack of transparency, and raising the issue of safety, health and environmental protection. As denounced by the president of the community Mari, Maria Georgiou, the plot under development is the result of an embankment of inappropriate material that resulted from rubble of the chemical industries and the Vassiliko Cement Works in order to serve private interests of surnames. At the same time, it called for a cumulative impact study to be carried out on the consequences of the coexistence of all the large installations in the area.
The Auditor General, Odysseas Michaelides, said that he expects answers to a series of questions he raised in writing to the Ports Authority on September 9th. Specifically, ALK is asked to answer whether a member of the Board of Directors concealed a conflict of interest due to a close affinity it had with a person working in one of the two licensed companies. Furthermore, the Auditor General asked to be informed whether the decision was taken at the last meeting of the outgoing Board of Directors and after a decision of the Council of Ministers on the new composition.
At the same time, he asked for information whether the decision violates the revised spatial plan of the Vassilikos area and whether the coexistence of power stations with oil storage stations, fuel supply pipelines and fire-fighting water pipelines is extremely dangerous for public safety.
Furthermore, the Audit Office asked why no procedure was followed for the expression of interest for the concession of the two plots, the valuation of the plot, the value at which the licenses were granted and the duration of their validity, the details of the individuals to whom the permits were granted and the establishment of their management team, as well as the type of development for which the plot of land in question is intended and whether this is consistent with the land use area in question. plan of the Vasilikos area. He added that since the Authority was in mind to provide two pieces of fillets for special commercial use it had to follow an open procedure.
The director general of the transport ministry, Stavros Michael, said that the ministry was informed about the matter by a publication of "F" and then requested, in a letter from the transport minister himself to the president of the Authority, immediate relevant information and awaits answers.
The Ministry of Commerce has paved the way for licensing
Questions arise about the role of the Ministry of Energy in the whole process, since it was positively placed in response to the ALK whether to license these companies that requested industrial plots in a port area. Ministry official Marios Manolis said that in his letter the ministry does not in principle object to the requests of the two companies. However, he explained, in the context of the revision of the spatial development plan of the Vasilikos area, the ministry's advisors, Rogan and Associates, suggest that before the siting of new projects, which are critical infrastructures of the state, a specialized risk study be carried out, which will take into account the potential and capacity of all existing and planned facilities and will determine the required dispersion.
Further, senior energy ministry official Christina Karapita said that the existing facilities before they were licensed carried out studies for their construction projects. However, he said, due to the great interest recorded in new power plants and other facilities in the area, the ministry's advisers are recommending a new specialized study on hazards and pollutants.
