Filenews 14 November 2022 - by Angelos Nicolaou
The Republic of Cyprus is running the procedures for the siting of the EastMed pipeline compressor station in the Vasilikos industrial area. However, in the context of the examination of the Strategic Environmental Impact Study for the revised spatial development plan of the Vasilikos area, the District Officer of Larnaca expressed his disagreement with this project.
In a letter to the Director of the Department of Environment dated 19/9/2022, which included his previous recent letters, the prefect Odysseas Chatzistefanou refers, among other things, to the increased number of dangerous facilities in the area of Vasilikos and recommends the review of the siting within the Vasilikos area for infrastructure that has not yet begun to be implemented and is probably not necessary to be in the area. He makes a special reference to the compression station of the EastMed pipeline and suggests that alternative locations be found by the competent government authorities outside the area of the study of the revised spatial plan. In addition, the district officer recommends that the requests of businesses for the concession of state land for the creation of industrial facilities be examined in accordance with the criteria provided for in the Property Property of the Republic (Lease of Property within Government Areas) Regulations 1990 (KDP 164/90) as amended.
The EastMed-Poseidon pipeline is an important energy infrastructure, aiming at the interconnection between the sources of the Eastern Mediterranean (underwater natural gas reserves in the Levantine basin) and the European energy markets, through Cyprus, Greece and Italy. A comprehensive environmental impact assessment study is being carried out for the pipeline, as well as a specific ecological assessment to affect the proposed marine protected area, the offshore area of Oceanis, which has been proposed for the protection of cetaceans (dolphins, whales) and sea turtles, which use this area as a migratory corridor.
It is noted that the Cypriot part of the project consists of the underwater and onshore infrastructure for the transport of natural gas from the Israel/Cyprus underwater deposits located within the areas of Cypriot jurisdiction. In the Vassilikos industrial area, which belongs to the Larnaca District in the southern part of Cyprus, pipelines will pass through the coast and onshore facilities will be developed. The onshore part includes the compression and measuring station and the pressure measuring and regulating station. The underwater part includes parts of the southern and northern lines of the entire project within waters under Cypriot jurisdiction, extending for about 980 km from the landing point.
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The underwater pipelines of the project will pass through Cypriot waters at water depths ranging from approximately -2,000 m at the location where the pipeline enters Cypriot waters from Israel located east of Eratosthenes Hill and approximately -2,800 m at the location where the pipeline reaches the boundary of Cypriot jurisdiction to the west, up to the coastline of Vasilikos (where the bathymetry of -20 m is located at a distance of about 1.7 km from the coast).
The compression and metering station of the project will be installed in the heavy industrial zone B2 of Vasilikos, while part of the onshore pipelines and the landing site fall into the Protection Zone Z1a (which is a buffer zone between the industrial facilities of the Vasilikos Energy Center and the other neighboiring areas), and the pressure measurement and reduction station and part of the onshore pipelines fall into the Protection Zone Z3a (which is a regulatory zone between the industrial facilities of the Vasilikos Energy Center and the other neighbouring areas). All project facilities are included in the revised General Spatial Plan of Vasilikos. The area is already home to the Vasilikos Power Station, the Vassiliko Cement Works, oil depots and other local industries. According to the recently updated General Spatial Plan, the area will host a significant concentration of hydrocarbon installations.
The air quality of the area is monitored on an ongoing basis by the Department of Labour Inspection at the two industrial air quality monitoring stations located in the village of Zygi and the village of Mari. Background air pollution levels in the Vasilikos Bay area record short-term maximum values of pollution caused by nearby industrial activities (Vasilikos Power Station, Vassiliko Cement Works, VTTV fuel depots, etc.) stations have been placed in a leeward direction from these sources to the nearest residential areas.
INTERVENTION
Conservation of protected species
The EastMed pipeline, like all other projects, must go through the environmental impact assessment process and why not conduct a special ecological assessment study on the impact it can have on the offshore area of Oceanis. Besides, the priority measures for the offshore Special Area of Conservation (SAC) Oceanis are important for the protection of cetaceans and the protection of sea turtle migration routes. Therefore, activities within the SAC, which can have significant negative effects, should be restricted and even prohibited to avoid the deterioration of the habitats of species (Monachus monachus, Chelonia mydas, Caretta caretta and Tursiops truncatus).
