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CENN - MAY 31, 2005 Daily Digest
Table of Contents:
1. New Reports Find that BTC Pipeline is Unsafe as Safety of Azeri
Citizens is also Jeopardized
2. BTC to Export "Color Revolutions"
3. Turkey's Energy Role: Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline
4. Baku - Ceyhan Turning Point
5. Oil Starts Flowing into the Pipeline of Century
6. Environmentalists Challenge BTC's Long term Safety
7. Tourism Employees to Hold Seminars in Regions
8. Customer Relations Skills (CRS) Course
9. Vacancy Announcements
10. EIA Reports
1. New reports find that BTC pipeline is unsafe as safety of
Azeri citizens is also jeopardized
Immediate release: Tuesday, May 24 2005
CEE Bankwatch Network * Friends of the Earth International
New reports find that BTC pipeline is unsafe as safety of Azeri
citizens is also jeopardized
Two reports released today, ahead of tomorrow's Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
(BTC) pipeline 'opening' ceremony in Baku, reveal significant
concerns regarding the environmental and social damage being caused
by the World Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction & Development
(EBRD) backed project in Azerbaijan and Georgia.
As western dignitaries gather to celebrate the initial flow of
Caspian oil - although the Georgian section of the pipeline is still
incomplete - local and international environmental groups pointed to
the reports' findings from the field and believe that there is
considerable unfinished BTC business.
The reports [1] produced by CEE Bankwatch Network, Friends of the
Earth England, Wales & Northern Ireland, Les Amis de la Terre,
France, and Green Alternative, Georgia, National Ecological Center
for Ukraine, summarie information obtained during fact-finding
missions to Azerbaijan and Georgia in October 2004. The reports come
only four days after peaceful demonstrators in Baku were forcibly
removed by police [2].
The Georgian report contains leaked documents detailing disputes
between the Georgian Government, BP and International Financial
Institutions regarding some of these safety concerns, and overall the
two reports reveal a catalogue of unresolved problems with the BTC
project such as environmental risks and compensation not being
adequately addressed [3].
Manana Kochladze, CEE Bankwatch Network's Regional Coordinator for
Caucasus, said, "The developments around the construction of the BTC
pipeline unfortunately prove the serious environmental and safety
risks highlighted by national and international environmentalists.
These risks have been rashly neglected by the IFC and the EBRD and as
a result the number of violations and breaches of international
standards is growing, putting the people and environment along the
pipeline at ever greater risk."
Hannah Ellis, International Financial Institutions Campaigner at
Friends of the Earth, said: "It is outrageous that public money,
provided by institutions like the World Bank has been used for this
project under the guise of aid. The Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline is causing
immense problems for the people and the environment it is claiming to
serve. The World Bank and the other backers of the pipeline should
suspend operations until key environmental and social risks
associated with the project have been addressed."
For more information, contact:
Hannah Ellis, Friends of the Earth England, Wales & N. Ireland,
Tel: +44 (0)207 490 1555, Mobile: +44 (0)7952 876929
Manana Kochladze, Green Alternative/ CEE Bankwatch Network Georgia,
Tel: +99599 916647, Mobile: +99599 223874
Notes for editors:
1. An executive summary and full copies of the reports are available
at:http://www.bankwatch.org/issues/oilclima/baku-ceyhan/downloads/2005/ffm_geor
gia_report_04-05.pdf
http://www.bankwatch.org/issues/oilclima/baku-ceyhan/downloads/2005/ffm_azer
i_report05-05.pdf
The leaked documents are available at:
http://www.bankwatch.org/issues/oilclima/baku -ceyhan/downloads/2005/leaks_sa
fety_04-05.pdf
2. On Saturday, five days before the ceremony, the Azerbaijan
authorities in Baku demonstrated their willingness to cancel out
opposition to the project. Demonstrators were not allowed to uphold
their constitutional right to demonstrate as riot police broke up a
peaceful action in Baku, on the grounds that it would have been
"inexpedient" before the arrival of the US Energy Secretary,
attending the opening ceremony.
3. Concerns included in the reports include:
* Uncompensated expropriated land
* Damage to property
* Drinking water pollution
* Non-compliance with Georgian state environmental permit
conditions
* High environmental and safety risks
* Increased pressure from the Ilham Aliev regime human rights
advocates
* Extreme lack of due diligence on the part of the International
Finance Corporation (IFC) and the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Greig Aitken
Media coordinator
CEE Bankwatch Network
Bratislavska 31
602 00 Brno
Czech Republic
Tel: +420-545 214 431, ext 19
2. BTC to export "color revolutions"
Source: Pravda, May 26, 2005
The most cheerful guest on the inauguration ceremony was the Georgian
President Mikhail Saakashvili. He uttered that the BTC pipeline would
make "the whole region, including Georgia, entirely independent."
The commercial functioning of the pipeline will begin by the end of
this year; in the nearest months it will filled with oil. From now on
the Caspian nations are directly linked to the West centered world
economy. The oil which will be pumped through the BTC pipeline is
being extracted by the Western oil giants. The commander in chief of
the US forces in Europe, general James Johns has already disclosed
the US plans to deploy the so called "Caspian Guard" along the
pipeline.
As the oil flows westward, the spirit of the "color revolutions", the
series of coups d'etat installing staunchly pro western puppet
regimes, will penetrate further eastward. And the most probable
targets Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
3. Turkey's Energy Role: Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline
Source: Central Daylight Time, May 28, 2005
On May 25, 2005 the presidents of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia,
and Turkey inaugurated the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline (BTC), a
major artery linking oil fields in the Caspian Sea region to the
Mediterranean Sea and Western markets beyond. It will take several
months for oil pumped from Baku, Azerbaijan, to pass through Tbilisi,
Georgia, and reach the Turkish coast at Ceyhan. Eventually, BTC will
carry up to 1 million barrels per day (bbl/d) of crude oil to the
Mediterranean. With growing concern over Western dependence on Middle
Eastern oil and rising global oil prices, Turkey is emerging as a key
country in providing Caspian oil to the Western world.
Background: A Pipeline Born of U.S.-Turkish Cooperation
According to British Petroleum's Statistical Review of World Energy,
proven oil reserves in the Caspian Basin total 16.5 billion barrels,
comparable to the reserves of Canada, Mexico, or the OPEC member
state Qatar.
President Bill Clinton and Turkish President Suleyman Demirel settled
heated debate in the mid-1990s over how best to bring Caspian oil to
world markets by throwing their weight behind the BTC. Washington and
Ankara saw the BTC as a key east-west corridor that would ensure the
independence and economic viability of the newly independent states
in the Caspian Basin. The BTC also made strategic sense to the United
States and Turkey because it would bypass politically unstable places
like Iran, the northern Caucasus (including Chechnya), and
Armenian-occupied parts of Azerbaijan.
Further, the BTC was seen as useful to easing the burdens on the
Turkish Straits of the Bosporus and the Dardanelles. Today, more than
5,000 tankers cross the Turkish Straits each year, carrying Caspian
oil from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. The sea traffic through
the narrow, zigzagging straits carries grave risks, especially since
any accident could cause an environmental catastrophe in downtown
Istanbul, which sits along the Bosporus.
When others questioned the project's feasibility, Clinton appointed a
special envoy for Caspian energy affairs and Demirel visited Georgia
and Azerbaijan to push for the project. The unprecedented level of
U.S.-Turkish cooperation, as well as successful coordination by both
countries' diplomats, made the seemingly impossible pipeline
possible.
Building the BTC
In 1997, Western oil companies started to explore the commercial
viability of the BTC project. An international consortium of eleven
partners -- Britain's BP; Azerbaijan's SOCAR; Norway's Statoil; U.S.
based Unocal, Amerada Hess, and ConocoPhillips; Turkey's TPAO;
Italy's Eni; Japan's INPEX and Itochu; and France's TotalFinaElf --
began construction of the pipeline in May 2003. With a 30 percent
share in the project, BP is the largest stakeholder, and served as
acting leader for the project's design and construction phases.
The BTC, which cost an estimated $3.7 billion for construction,
financing, and line-fill, has received limited public funding. The
European Bank of Reconstruction and Development and the International
Finance Corporation, the World Bank's private-sector arm, pledged
$250 million in loans. Although a small amount compared to the
project's total funding, World Bank participation acted as a catalyst
to bring foreign direct investors to the project.
Because it traverses 176 widely varied and sensitive terrains while
crossing the politically unstable Caucasus region, the BTC was
bedeviled by worries about its security and environmental risks.
Accordingly, the U.S. military's Special Forces trained 1,500-2,000
Georgian soldiers in anti-terrorism techniques under a $64 million
program aimed at protecting the pipeline against saboteurs. In
addition, a BP-led consortium granted an additional $25 million to
local non-governmental organizations to manage environmental
programs.
The entire length of the 1,094-mile BTC, the longest oil-export
pipeline in the world, is buried. Once the pipeline becomes fully
operational, Azerbaijan will be the main beneficiary of the sale of
its oil in international markets, collecting (at current prices)
about $29 billion per year in oil revenues, while Georgia and Turkey
will respectively collect transit fees of $600 million and $1.5
billion per year.
Ceyhan Becomes a Nexus of Global Energy Lines
With BTC, Ceyhan will emerge as a major energy supplier to the world.
Ceyhan's port, Yumurtalik, is already the terminus of Kirkuk-Ceyhan
pipeline, which has the capacity to bring about 1.5 million bbl/d oil
to the Mediterranean from northern Iraq (though it is presently
closed due to continuing attacks by Iraqi insurgents). Another
pipeline is now under consideration to bring Caspian gas from Baku,
via Tbilisi, to Erzurum in eastern Turkey from where it would be
transported to Ceyhan. There are other new projects designed to make
Ceyhan into an even bigger hub of energy supply:
·Samsun-Ceyhan gas/ oil lines and terminal. Turkey intends to enlarge
its natural-gas transmission by extending the Blue Stream pipeline,
which connects Russia with Ankara through the Black Sea, through an
Ankara-to-Ceyhan extension. After a liquid-natural-gas export
terminal is built in Ceyhan, this plan would enable Turkey to
re-export Russian gas. Turkey also wants to build a cross-Anatolian
oil line, from Samsun on the Black Sea to Ceyhan on the
Mediterranean, to further decrease traffic through the Turkish
Straits.
Kazakhstan Extension. In March 2005, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan agreed
to build the Aktau-Baku pipeline, connecting the Kashagan offshore
oil fields near Aktau in Kazakhstan to the BTC in Baku via a
sub-Caspian in 2008. The Kashagan field is expected to produce 1.2
million bbl/d by 2016, when 600,000 bbl/d of its production is to be
shipped across the Caspian Sea to be fed into the BTC line.
·Ceyhan-Haifa Pipeline. This project, first discussed during Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's May 2005 visit to Israel, aims
to bring BTC oil to Israel via a sub-Mediterranean pipeline through
Cyprus. There are also plans for parallel pipelines to carry water,
gas, and electricity, and perhaps fiber-optic lines, to Israel, as
well as to Northern Cyprus, Jordan, and the Palestinian territories,
bringing the latter closer to Turkey and Israel economically and
politically.
Implications of Turkey's Emergence as an Energy Entrepot
Turkey's new position as a way-station for energy distribution could
be a useful asset in its relations with both the European Union and
the United States. Turkish membership would give the EU a direct
route to Caspian energy resources that does not cross Russia; as a
major energy producer; Russia has not been very helpful getting
Caspian energy to outside markets.
In the post-Iraq War period, the energy issue should also strengthen
U.S.-Turkish relations. Turkey's strategic value sometimes comes
under doubt. But Turkey is an important route for the export of oil
from northern Iraq. By binding the Caucasus region with the West
through the BTC, Turkey is now a key country in accessing the energy
sources of the landlocked Caspian Basin. And the BTC has
significantly limited the share of Caspian oil that must be
transported through Iran. Tehran currently transports a mere 35,000
bbl/d Caspian oil, which it buys from Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan
through a swapping agreement. The BTC and other projects involving
Turkey should remind Americans and Turks alike that as members of the
Western world, they have shared interests that can be promoted
through cooperation.
Soner Cagaptay is a senior fellow and director of the Turkish
Research Program at The Washington Institute. Nazli Gencsoy, a Dr.
Marcia Robbins-Wilf young scholar, is a research assistant at the
Institute.
4. Baku - Ceyhan Turning Point
Source: TurkishPress, May 29, 2005
The first oil was pumped through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC)
pipeline in Azerbaijan two days ago. The huge project is a turning
point not only for Turkish-Azerbaijani relations, but also for the
region's future. For the first time, one of the ex-Soviet republics
has succeeded in opening to the world through an energy
transportation line with Russia excluded. The new pipeline will spur
steady growth in the Azerbaijani economy. Azerbaijan expects a growth
of 20% over the next few years. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, one
of the longest pipelines in the world at 1,774 kilometers, will
contribute to the cooperation and stability of the three countries
through which it passes. A natural gas pipeline has started
construction in parallel with the BTC, and its completion is planned
for 2006. This way the friendship will be strengthened even more.
British Petroleum (BP), the largest partner in the project, claims
that the benefits to the three countries will amount to $150 billion
from the oil and gas transportation. The Turkish, Georgian and
Azerbaijani leaders at the BTC opening ceremony also signed a pact
for the Kars-Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki-Baku Railway project, which is an
indication of the emerging stability of the Caucasus. This project,
which will connect Turkey and Eurasia, has been delayed for years due
to the Armenian minority's threat in the Akhalkalaki region.
Kazakhstan will also connect to BTC through Aktau. This way they will
have an alternative route to Russia. This way tanker traffic and the
threats to the environment and lives posed by tankers in the Turkish
Straits will fall. The BTC has a great strategic importance for
Turkey. Our port of Ceyhan's importance has risen as an energy
transfer point. Turkey has become an energy route for Iranian and
Azerbaijani gas and Iraqi and Caspian oil, and Turkey's strategic
importance rose for the EU. Now transferring natural gas to Europe
through Greece isn't a dream anymore. In addition, the Turkish
Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) is a partner of the projects with a
share of 6.5% and for the first time, Turkey is signing a partnership
with international companies with oil and natural gas fields of this
scale. Of course this experience will have a contribution and
financial benefits for the TPAO's future roles. In sum, pumping the
first oil in the BTC pipeline is a turning point in many ways and
strengthens the search for multidimensional cooperation among
countries of the region.
5. Oil Starts Flowing into the Pipeline of Century
Source: The Messenger, May 30, 2005
With the taps turning on, Presidents of Georgia, Turkey and
Azerbaijan send the first flow of crude oil flow into a long awaited
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline last Wednesday May 25, 2005.
The Washing backed oil conduit is expected to turn the region into a
transport corridor connecting Central Asia to Western Europe and
loosen Russia's stranglehold on exports from the region.
Calling the opening day historical for the region, the President of
Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili said at the ceremony the pipeline should
help attack investment and improve living standards.
"This project is a guarantee of Georgia's energy independence," he
said.
Built with financial support from the US, the pipeline was initiated
in 1994 under Eduard Shevardnadze and was labeled as the Deal of
Century. Mr. Shevardnadze considered the BTC project to be the
crowning achievement of his presidency. While he was in office the
media depicted the project as the solution to most of Georgia's
problems. But Mr. Saakashvili has sought to downplay pipeline's
importance telling Georgians not to pin unrealistic hopes on it.
Nonetheless, the benefits of the pipeline are going to be significant
to Georgia which sees BTC as a way of lessening its dependence on
Russian energy supplies. Besides, Georgia stands to earn substantial
revenue through transit fees. The tariff for one barrel crude oil
totals 12cents making 50 million USD annually.
The pipeline has been an international effort and was built by a
consortium led by UK oil giant BP, which has a 30% stake. While the
pipeline crosses areas plagued by conflicts, the countries involved
hope it will bring economic benefits and enhance political stability.
Other consortium members include Azerbaijan's State Oil Company
Socar, Amerada Hess, ConocoPhilips, Eni, Inpex, Itochu, Statoil,
Total, TPAO and Unocal.
Most Caspian oil exports currently go through Russian pipelines t the
Black Sea port of Novorossiisk, where the oil is loaded onto tankers
that squeeze through the very busy Bosporus.
The pipeline has a capacity of 10 million barrels, and the fields are
expected to produce more than 400, 000 barrels of oil a day
initially. By 2008, the project is expected to pump 1 million barrels
of oil a day. BP said the pipeline could take more than six months to
fill, with the loading of the first tanker at Ceyhan expected in the
fourth quarter. Oil is expected to reach Georgia at the end of June.
Kazakhstan's participation in the project has until now remained
under question as it does not want to irritate former overlord
Moscow, thus lose another alternative route for exporting its oil but
Kazakhstan's President who was attending the inauguration ceremony
gave firm confirmation of joining the BTC pipeline.
"For us this route will be one of the main ways to supply world
markets", Nazarbayev said Wednesday at the ceremony where he signed
bilateral agreements with the president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.
Calling it a magnificent engineering achievement, the State
Department warmly welcomed the official opening of the pipeline.
President Bush said in a letter read at the opening ceremony by US
Energy Secretary Samuel Bodmen that the pipeline "opens new era in
the Caspian Basin's development."
"The BTC pipeline will reinforce the sovereignty and prosperity of
Azerbaijan and Georgia. It will further integrate Azerbaijan and
Georgia into the international free market economy and promote their
development, associated press quoted Richard Boucher said, spokesman
for US State Department as saying.
6. Environmentalists Challenge BTC's Long term Safety
Source: Georgian Times, May 30, 2005
While the four presidents and the US Energy Secretary attended the
inauguration of the giant Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) project in Baku,
NGOs express doubts in Tbilisi as to its safety guarantees.
In a special statement issued on May 25, 2005 the World Wildlife Fund
(WWF) Caucasus office stated that despite its political and economic
significance, the BTC oil pipeline "is not safe from an environmental
point of view," and especially the pipeline's 17-km long stretch
which extends through Georgia's Borjomi Valley.
The WWF reports that the pipeline crosses the Ktsia-Tabatskuri
protected area, and despite any planned mitigation measures in the
Tabatskuri area, an oil spillage could quickly lead to widespread
contamination of Lake Tabatskuri or the Ktsia River, and via the
river to Lake Tsalka. The internationally renowned wetlands of
Ktsia-Nariani, one of the largest high altitude wetland areas in the
Caucasus and an important bird migration area, would also be at risk.
Kakha Tolordava, communications officer for the Caucasus Office of
WWF, told GT that the original Akhkalkalaki route would have been
ideal. "As this (BTC) was a political project, we have never aimed at
stopping it, but we have indicated faults and possible dangers. When
a company with such a reputation is in charge of the construction,
our function is limited to simplify monitoring the process.
Geologists and hydrogeologists have warned of the risks. The pipeline
will; be use for 40 years. Nobody knows what is going top happen in
10 or 15 years. What will the company do in case of spill?"
BTC is one of the world's largest pipelines. The presidents of
Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Kazakhstan and the US Energy
Secretary attended to official launch of the pipeline on May 25,
2005. Meanwhile, Georgian environmentalists speak of problems with
the construction. Speaking with GT, Keti Gujaraidze, monitoring
program coordinator for the BTC pipeline for the Green Alternative
NGO, raised the issue sustained to the local infrastructure such as
roads, homes and agricultural plots along the route its vicinity.
The construction of the BTC pipeline in Georgia has continued against
the background of constant protest rallies. Over 44 households of the
village of Gardabani in the Krtsanisi region staged a protest rally
at BP's Tbilisi office on December 13, later blocking the
construction of BTC and demanding reimbursement for damage inflicted
by the British company. Residents of Georgia's southern province of
Samtskhe-Javakheti have also held demonstrations, claiming that BP
has deceived them and failed plots taken for construction. The
pipeline goes through 72 populated districts. The question remains
open, as the company refuses to offer any compensation.
The second issue that Green Alterative complains about us the quality
of construction. Ms. Gujaraidze told GT: "There are no safety
guarantees for the Borjomi section of the pipeline. You might
remember the issue of the cover up of damaged areas of the pipeline.
A month ago we appealed to the Ministry of Environmental Protection
and Nature Resources, asking about the state of these damaged areas,
but they have not responded yet."
The BTC oil pipeline construction was suspended in Georgian from late
spring to early autumn of 2004, when the Georgian authorities
demanded BP take additional safety measures in the Borjomi valley and
allocate additional funds for this purpose.
In December of 2004, the British newspaper The Sunday Times reported
that, as operator of the BTC oil export pipeline and the South
Caucasus (SCP) gas pipeline project, which runs from Azerbaijan
through Georgian to the Turkish Mediterranean coast, BP was on
collision course with the Georgian parliamentary inquiry that it has
misled people about the safety of the strategic international
pipeline, which is backed with ₤60 million of public money.
According to WWF's Caucasus office, the public was not well informed
about safety flaws in BTC's construction, including reports about the
cracking of a vital anti corrosion coating used to protect pipeline
joints. WWF also complained that it was impossible to hold
constructive dialogue with BP over these problems, and reiterated
that despite the "unprecedented" safety measures used during
construction, the pipeline still poses a risk to Borjomi, a famous
resort area renowned for its mineral waters, and to Borjomi `s
ecology.
7. TOURISM EMPLOYEES TO HOLD SEMINARS IN REGIONS
Source: State Telegraphic Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan,
Azertag, May30, 2005
A specialists from Baku sport and Tourism College and Cookery center
of the ministry of Youth, Sport and Tourism are planning to organize
a seminars for tourism employees in Guba, Gusar and Khachmaz regions,
reported our correspondent refers to Ministry's press service.
According to officials of the Ministry's Department on Tourism, a
main goal for seminars is improvement of the service level for
tourists. The potential attendants of tourists' centers will be
getting certificate after seminars. Trainings will be held in the
Guba rest home and "Atlant" tourist center in Nabran.
8. Customer Relations Skills (CRS) course
On June 15-17, 2005 - offered by ctc -- Centre for Training and
Consultancy
What is Customer Relations Skills (CRS)?
Avery single company is it a business entity, public body or
non-governmental organization has a customer, who is the reason of
their existence. Therefore, it is essentially important to make and
keep the customer happy. Besides products, companies deliver service
and as we all know good service largely determines customer
satisfaction. In order to provide perfect service, staff should
possess basic customer relations skills and this is something anyone
can be trained in. CRS course aims to convey general knowledge about
customers, to train participants in customer relations skills and to
develop positive attitude towards their job. These all will help
participants in future to improve their performance, level and the
quality of the service provided and teach them how to exceed the
customer expectations.
For the more detailed information please see the attached file.
9. Vacancy Announcements
Dear CENN Readers,
Please see the attached file ToRs for two open positions: National
and Local Stakeholder Consultant under the UNDP/GEF project "Reducing
trans-boundary Degradation of the Kura-Aras River Basin".
10. EIA Reports
Source: "Sakartvelos Respublica" ("Republic of Georgia"), May 29,
2005
In accordance with the Georgian legislation on "Environmental
Permits" were submitted the following reports to obtain the
environmental permits:
1. Technical-technological report and mitigation
measures KP 114, KP 119+300 deposits (Tsalka region) development
technological schemes (project) submitted by Spi Petrofac to obtain
the environmental permit for the activity of second category;
2. Program of development and maintenance of the
hunting farms "Fauna", technical-economical statement project in Gori
region submitted by Ltd. "Fauna" to obtain the environmental permit
for the activity of second category;
3. Development and Bottling of the Spring Water
"Kokatauri" in Kedi region. Village Kokatauri submitted by Ltd.
"Kokatauri" to obtain the environmental permit for the activity of
second category;
4. Development of the Sand-gravel deposit with
acquire of sand in Bolnisi region, Village Nakhiduri submitted by
Ltd. "Mashavera 2003" to obtain the environmental permit for the
activity of second category;
5. Research and Development of Inert materials in
Tsalka Region, Village Beshtasheni and along the Imeri submitted by
the entrepreneur "Iakubovich Koriaki" to obtain the environmental
permit for the activity of second category;
6. Research and Development of the Inert materials
in Tsalka region, Villages Tsintsvari, Darakovi, Jinisi and
Vezelkilsa submitted by the entrepreneur "Lursparonian Ambarcum" to
obtain the environmental permit for the activity of second category;
7. Development and Bottling of the Mineral Water
"Skuri" in Tsalenjikha region. Village Skuri submitted by Ltd.
"Skuri" to obtain the environmental permit for the activity of second
category;
8. EIA Report of the Oil Reservoir in Tbilisi, 10,
Moscow Ave., submitted by Ltd. "Metekhi 95" to obtain the
environmental permit for the activity of first category;
EIA reports are available at the Department of Environmental Permits
and State Ecological Expertise (6 Gulua Str.). Interested
stakeholders can analyze the document and present their comments and
considerations until July 14, 2005.
Public hearing will be held on July 14, 2005 at 12:00, at the
conference hall of the Ministry of Environment.
*******************************************
CENN INFO
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)
Tel: ++995 32 75 19 03/04
Fax: ++995 32 75 19 05
E-mail: [email protected]
URL: www.cenn.org
--Boundary_(ID_3FSdIHhXbWoh9mEv78lvyA)--
Table of Contents:
1. New Reports Find that BTC Pipeline is Unsafe as Safety of Azeri
Citizens is also Jeopardized
2. BTC to Export "Color Revolutions"
3. Turkey's Energy Role: Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline
4. Baku - Ceyhan Turning Point
5. Oil Starts Flowing into the Pipeline of Century
6. Environmentalists Challenge BTC's Long term Safety
7. Tourism Employees to Hold Seminars in Regions
8. Customer Relations Skills (CRS) Course
9. Vacancy Announcements
10. EIA Reports
1. New reports find that BTC pipeline is unsafe as safety of
Azeri citizens is also jeopardized
Immediate release: Tuesday, May 24 2005
CEE Bankwatch Network * Friends of the Earth International
New reports find that BTC pipeline is unsafe as safety of Azeri
citizens is also jeopardized
Two reports released today, ahead of tomorrow's Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
(BTC) pipeline 'opening' ceremony in Baku, reveal significant
concerns regarding the environmental and social damage being caused
by the World Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction & Development
(EBRD) backed project in Azerbaijan and Georgia.
As western dignitaries gather to celebrate the initial flow of
Caspian oil - although the Georgian section of the pipeline is still
incomplete - local and international environmental groups pointed to
the reports' findings from the field and believe that there is
considerable unfinished BTC business.
The reports [1] produced by CEE Bankwatch Network, Friends of the
Earth England, Wales & Northern Ireland, Les Amis de la Terre,
France, and Green Alternative, Georgia, National Ecological Center
for Ukraine, summarie information obtained during fact-finding
missions to Azerbaijan and Georgia in October 2004. The reports come
only four days after peaceful demonstrators in Baku were forcibly
removed by police [2].
The Georgian report contains leaked documents detailing disputes
between the Georgian Government, BP and International Financial
Institutions regarding some of these safety concerns, and overall the
two reports reveal a catalogue of unresolved problems with the BTC
project such as environmental risks and compensation not being
adequately addressed [3].
Manana Kochladze, CEE Bankwatch Network's Regional Coordinator for
Caucasus, said, "The developments around the construction of the BTC
pipeline unfortunately prove the serious environmental and safety
risks highlighted by national and international environmentalists.
These risks have been rashly neglected by the IFC and the EBRD and as
a result the number of violations and breaches of international
standards is growing, putting the people and environment along the
pipeline at ever greater risk."
Hannah Ellis, International Financial Institutions Campaigner at
Friends of the Earth, said: "It is outrageous that public money,
provided by institutions like the World Bank has been used for this
project under the guise of aid. The Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline is causing
immense problems for the people and the environment it is claiming to
serve. The World Bank and the other backers of the pipeline should
suspend operations until key environmental and social risks
associated with the project have been addressed."
For more information, contact:
Hannah Ellis, Friends of the Earth England, Wales & N. Ireland,
Tel: +44 (0)207 490 1555, Mobile: +44 (0)7952 876929
Manana Kochladze, Green Alternative/ CEE Bankwatch Network Georgia,
Tel: +99599 916647, Mobile: +99599 223874
Notes for editors:
1. An executive summary and full copies of the reports are available
at:http://www.bankwatch.org/issues/oilclima/baku-ceyhan/downloads/2005/ffm_geor
gia_report_04-05.pdf
http://www.bankwatch.org/issues/oilclima/baku-ceyhan/downloads/2005/ffm_azer
i_report05-05.pdf
The leaked documents are available at:
http://www.bankwatch.org/issues/oilclima/baku -ceyhan/downloads/2005/leaks_sa
fety_04-05.pdf
2. On Saturday, five days before the ceremony, the Azerbaijan
authorities in Baku demonstrated their willingness to cancel out
opposition to the project. Demonstrators were not allowed to uphold
their constitutional right to demonstrate as riot police broke up a
peaceful action in Baku, on the grounds that it would have been
"inexpedient" before the arrival of the US Energy Secretary,
attending the opening ceremony.
3. Concerns included in the reports include:
* Uncompensated expropriated land
* Damage to property
* Drinking water pollution
* Non-compliance with Georgian state environmental permit
conditions
* High environmental and safety risks
* Increased pressure from the Ilham Aliev regime human rights
advocates
* Extreme lack of due diligence on the part of the International
Finance Corporation (IFC) and the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Greig Aitken
Media coordinator
CEE Bankwatch Network
Bratislavska 31
602 00 Brno
Czech Republic
Tel: +420-545 214 431, ext 19
2. BTC to export "color revolutions"
Source: Pravda, May 26, 2005
The most cheerful guest on the inauguration ceremony was the Georgian
President Mikhail Saakashvili. He uttered that the BTC pipeline would
make "the whole region, including Georgia, entirely independent."
The commercial functioning of the pipeline will begin by the end of
this year; in the nearest months it will filled with oil. From now on
the Caspian nations are directly linked to the West centered world
economy. The oil which will be pumped through the BTC pipeline is
being extracted by the Western oil giants. The commander in chief of
the US forces in Europe, general James Johns has already disclosed
the US plans to deploy the so called "Caspian Guard" along the
pipeline.
As the oil flows westward, the spirit of the "color revolutions", the
series of coups d'etat installing staunchly pro western puppet
regimes, will penetrate further eastward. And the most probable
targets Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
3. Turkey's Energy Role: Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline
Source: Central Daylight Time, May 28, 2005
On May 25, 2005 the presidents of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia,
and Turkey inaugurated the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline (BTC), a
major artery linking oil fields in the Caspian Sea region to the
Mediterranean Sea and Western markets beyond. It will take several
months for oil pumped from Baku, Azerbaijan, to pass through Tbilisi,
Georgia, and reach the Turkish coast at Ceyhan. Eventually, BTC will
carry up to 1 million barrels per day (bbl/d) of crude oil to the
Mediterranean. With growing concern over Western dependence on Middle
Eastern oil and rising global oil prices, Turkey is emerging as a key
country in providing Caspian oil to the Western world.
Background: A Pipeline Born of U.S.-Turkish Cooperation
According to British Petroleum's Statistical Review of World Energy,
proven oil reserves in the Caspian Basin total 16.5 billion barrels,
comparable to the reserves of Canada, Mexico, or the OPEC member
state Qatar.
President Bill Clinton and Turkish President Suleyman Demirel settled
heated debate in the mid-1990s over how best to bring Caspian oil to
world markets by throwing their weight behind the BTC. Washington and
Ankara saw the BTC as a key east-west corridor that would ensure the
independence and economic viability of the newly independent states
in the Caspian Basin. The BTC also made strategic sense to the United
States and Turkey because it would bypass politically unstable places
like Iran, the northern Caucasus (including Chechnya), and
Armenian-occupied parts of Azerbaijan.
Further, the BTC was seen as useful to easing the burdens on the
Turkish Straits of the Bosporus and the Dardanelles. Today, more than
5,000 tankers cross the Turkish Straits each year, carrying Caspian
oil from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. The sea traffic through
the narrow, zigzagging straits carries grave risks, especially since
any accident could cause an environmental catastrophe in downtown
Istanbul, which sits along the Bosporus.
When others questioned the project's feasibility, Clinton appointed a
special envoy for Caspian energy affairs and Demirel visited Georgia
and Azerbaijan to push for the project. The unprecedented level of
U.S.-Turkish cooperation, as well as successful coordination by both
countries' diplomats, made the seemingly impossible pipeline
possible.
Building the BTC
In 1997, Western oil companies started to explore the commercial
viability of the BTC project. An international consortium of eleven
partners -- Britain's BP; Azerbaijan's SOCAR; Norway's Statoil; U.S.
based Unocal, Amerada Hess, and ConocoPhillips; Turkey's TPAO;
Italy's Eni; Japan's INPEX and Itochu; and France's TotalFinaElf --
began construction of the pipeline in May 2003. With a 30 percent
share in the project, BP is the largest stakeholder, and served as
acting leader for the project's design and construction phases.
The BTC, which cost an estimated $3.7 billion for construction,
financing, and line-fill, has received limited public funding. The
European Bank of Reconstruction and Development and the International
Finance Corporation, the World Bank's private-sector arm, pledged
$250 million in loans. Although a small amount compared to the
project's total funding, World Bank participation acted as a catalyst
to bring foreign direct investors to the project.
Because it traverses 176 widely varied and sensitive terrains while
crossing the politically unstable Caucasus region, the BTC was
bedeviled by worries about its security and environmental risks.
Accordingly, the U.S. military's Special Forces trained 1,500-2,000
Georgian soldiers in anti-terrorism techniques under a $64 million
program aimed at protecting the pipeline against saboteurs. In
addition, a BP-led consortium granted an additional $25 million to
local non-governmental organizations to manage environmental
programs.
The entire length of the 1,094-mile BTC, the longest oil-export
pipeline in the world, is buried. Once the pipeline becomes fully
operational, Azerbaijan will be the main beneficiary of the sale of
its oil in international markets, collecting (at current prices)
about $29 billion per year in oil revenues, while Georgia and Turkey
will respectively collect transit fees of $600 million and $1.5
billion per year.
Ceyhan Becomes a Nexus of Global Energy Lines
With BTC, Ceyhan will emerge as a major energy supplier to the world.
Ceyhan's port, Yumurtalik, is already the terminus of Kirkuk-Ceyhan
pipeline, which has the capacity to bring about 1.5 million bbl/d oil
to the Mediterranean from northern Iraq (though it is presently
closed due to continuing attacks by Iraqi insurgents). Another
pipeline is now under consideration to bring Caspian gas from Baku,
via Tbilisi, to Erzurum in eastern Turkey from where it would be
transported to Ceyhan. There are other new projects designed to make
Ceyhan into an even bigger hub of energy supply:
·Samsun-Ceyhan gas/ oil lines and terminal. Turkey intends to enlarge
its natural-gas transmission by extending the Blue Stream pipeline,
which connects Russia with Ankara through the Black Sea, through an
Ankara-to-Ceyhan extension. After a liquid-natural-gas export
terminal is built in Ceyhan, this plan would enable Turkey to
re-export Russian gas. Turkey also wants to build a cross-Anatolian
oil line, from Samsun on the Black Sea to Ceyhan on the
Mediterranean, to further decrease traffic through the Turkish
Straits.
Kazakhstan Extension. In March 2005, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan agreed
to build the Aktau-Baku pipeline, connecting the Kashagan offshore
oil fields near Aktau in Kazakhstan to the BTC in Baku via a
sub-Caspian in 2008. The Kashagan field is expected to produce 1.2
million bbl/d by 2016, when 600,000 bbl/d of its production is to be
shipped across the Caspian Sea to be fed into the BTC line.
·Ceyhan-Haifa Pipeline. This project, first discussed during Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's May 2005 visit to Israel, aims
to bring BTC oil to Israel via a sub-Mediterranean pipeline through
Cyprus. There are also plans for parallel pipelines to carry water,
gas, and electricity, and perhaps fiber-optic lines, to Israel, as
well as to Northern Cyprus, Jordan, and the Palestinian territories,
bringing the latter closer to Turkey and Israel economically and
politically.
Implications of Turkey's Emergence as an Energy Entrepot
Turkey's new position as a way-station for energy distribution could
be a useful asset in its relations with both the European Union and
the United States. Turkish membership would give the EU a direct
route to Caspian energy resources that does not cross Russia; as a
major energy producer; Russia has not been very helpful getting
Caspian energy to outside markets.
In the post-Iraq War period, the energy issue should also strengthen
U.S.-Turkish relations. Turkey's strategic value sometimes comes
under doubt. But Turkey is an important route for the export of oil
from northern Iraq. By binding the Caucasus region with the West
through the BTC, Turkey is now a key country in accessing the energy
sources of the landlocked Caspian Basin. And the BTC has
significantly limited the share of Caspian oil that must be
transported through Iran. Tehran currently transports a mere 35,000
bbl/d Caspian oil, which it buys from Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan
through a swapping agreement. The BTC and other projects involving
Turkey should remind Americans and Turks alike that as members of the
Western world, they have shared interests that can be promoted
through cooperation.
Soner Cagaptay is a senior fellow and director of the Turkish
Research Program at The Washington Institute. Nazli Gencsoy, a Dr.
Marcia Robbins-Wilf young scholar, is a research assistant at the
Institute.
4. Baku - Ceyhan Turning Point
Source: TurkishPress, May 29, 2005
The first oil was pumped through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC)
pipeline in Azerbaijan two days ago. The huge project is a turning
point not only for Turkish-Azerbaijani relations, but also for the
region's future. For the first time, one of the ex-Soviet republics
has succeeded in opening to the world through an energy
transportation line with Russia excluded. The new pipeline will spur
steady growth in the Azerbaijani economy. Azerbaijan expects a growth
of 20% over the next few years. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, one
of the longest pipelines in the world at 1,774 kilometers, will
contribute to the cooperation and stability of the three countries
through which it passes. A natural gas pipeline has started
construction in parallel with the BTC, and its completion is planned
for 2006. This way the friendship will be strengthened even more.
British Petroleum (BP), the largest partner in the project, claims
that the benefits to the three countries will amount to $150 billion
from the oil and gas transportation. The Turkish, Georgian and
Azerbaijani leaders at the BTC opening ceremony also signed a pact
for the Kars-Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki-Baku Railway project, which is an
indication of the emerging stability of the Caucasus. This project,
which will connect Turkey and Eurasia, has been delayed for years due
to the Armenian minority's threat in the Akhalkalaki region.
Kazakhstan will also connect to BTC through Aktau. This way they will
have an alternative route to Russia. This way tanker traffic and the
threats to the environment and lives posed by tankers in the Turkish
Straits will fall. The BTC has a great strategic importance for
Turkey. Our port of Ceyhan's importance has risen as an energy
transfer point. Turkey has become an energy route for Iranian and
Azerbaijani gas and Iraqi and Caspian oil, and Turkey's strategic
importance rose for the EU. Now transferring natural gas to Europe
through Greece isn't a dream anymore. In addition, the Turkish
Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) is a partner of the projects with a
share of 6.5% and for the first time, Turkey is signing a partnership
with international companies with oil and natural gas fields of this
scale. Of course this experience will have a contribution and
financial benefits for the TPAO's future roles. In sum, pumping the
first oil in the BTC pipeline is a turning point in many ways and
strengthens the search for multidimensional cooperation among
countries of the region.
5. Oil Starts Flowing into the Pipeline of Century
Source: The Messenger, May 30, 2005
With the taps turning on, Presidents of Georgia, Turkey and
Azerbaijan send the first flow of crude oil flow into a long awaited
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline last Wednesday May 25, 2005.
The Washing backed oil conduit is expected to turn the region into a
transport corridor connecting Central Asia to Western Europe and
loosen Russia's stranglehold on exports from the region.
Calling the opening day historical for the region, the President of
Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili said at the ceremony the pipeline should
help attack investment and improve living standards.
"This project is a guarantee of Georgia's energy independence," he
said.
Built with financial support from the US, the pipeline was initiated
in 1994 under Eduard Shevardnadze and was labeled as the Deal of
Century. Mr. Shevardnadze considered the BTC project to be the
crowning achievement of his presidency. While he was in office the
media depicted the project as the solution to most of Georgia's
problems. But Mr. Saakashvili has sought to downplay pipeline's
importance telling Georgians not to pin unrealistic hopes on it.
Nonetheless, the benefits of the pipeline are going to be significant
to Georgia which sees BTC as a way of lessening its dependence on
Russian energy supplies. Besides, Georgia stands to earn substantial
revenue through transit fees. The tariff for one barrel crude oil
totals 12cents making 50 million USD annually.
The pipeline has been an international effort and was built by a
consortium led by UK oil giant BP, which has a 30% stake. While the
pipeline crosses areas plagued by conflicts, the countries involved
hope it will bring economic benefits and enhance political stability.
Other consortium members include Azerbaijan's State Oil Company
Socar, Amerada Hess, ConocoPhilips, Eni, Inpex, Itochu, Statoil,
Total, TPAO and Unocal.
Most Caspian oil exports currently go through Russian pipelines t the
Black Sea port of Novorossiisk, where the oil is loaded onto tankers
that squeeze through the very busy Bosporus.
The pipeline has a capacity of 10 million barrels, and the fields are
expected to produce more than 400, 000 barrels of oil a day
initially. By 2008, the project is expected to pump 1 million barrels
of oil a day. BP said the pipeline could take more than six months to
fill, with the loading of the first tanker at Ceyhan expected in the
fourth quarter. Oil is expected to reach Georgia at the end of June.
Kazakhstan's participation in the project has until now remained
under question as it does not want to irritate former overlord
Moscow, thus lose another alternative route for exporting its oil but
Kazakhstan's President who was attending the inauguration ceremony
gave firm confirmation of joining the BTC pipeline.
"For us this route will be one of the main ways to supply world
markets", Nazarbayev said Wednesday at the ceremony where he signed
bilateral agreements with the president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.
Calling it a magnificent engineering achievement, the State
Department warmly welcomed the official opening of the pipeline.
President Bush said in a letter read at the opening ceremony by US
Energy Secretary Samuel Bodmen that the pipeline "opens new era in
the Caspian Basin's development."
"The BTC pipeline will reinforce the sovereignty and prosperity of
Azerbaijan and Georgia. It will further integrate Azerbaijan and
Georgia into the international free market economy and promote their
development, associated press quoted Richard Boucher said, spokesman
for US State Department as saying.
6. Environmentalists Challenge BTC's Long term Safety
Source: Georgian Times, May 30, 2005
While the four presidents and the US Energy Secretary attended the
inauguration of the giant Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) project in Baku,
NGOs express doubts in Tbilisi as to its safety guarantees.
In a special statement issued on May 25, 2005 the World Wildlife Fund
(WWF) Caucasus office stated that despite its political and economic
significance, the BTC oil pipeline "is not safe from an environmental
point of view," and especially the pipeline's 17-km long stretch
which extends through Georgia's Borjomi Valley.
The WWF reports that the pipeline crosses the Ktsia-Tabatskuri
protected area, and despite any planned mitigation measures in the
Tabatskuri area, an oil spillage could quickly lead to widespread
contamination of Lake Tabatskuri or the Ktsia River, and via the
river to Lake Tsalka. The internationally renowned wetlands of
Ktsia-Nariani, one of the largest high altitude wetland areas in the
Caucasus and an important bird migration area, would also be at risk.
Kakha Tolordava, communications officer for the Caucasus Office of
WWF, told GT that the original Akhkalkalaki route would have been
ideal. "As this (BTC) was a political project, we have never aimed at
stopping it, but we have indicated faults and possible dangers. When
a company with such a reputation is in charge of the construction,
our function is limited to simplify monitoring the process.
Geologists and hydrogeologists have warned of the risks. The pipeline
will; be use for 40 years. Nobody knows what is going top happen in
10 or 15 years. What will the company do in case of spill?"
BTC is one of the world's largest pipelines. The presidents of
Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Kazakhstan and the US Energy
Secretary attended to official launch of the pipeline on May 25,
2005. Meanwhile, Georgian environmentalists speak of problems with
the construction. Speaking with GT, Keti Gujaraidze, monitoring
program coordinator for the BTC pipeline for the Green Alternative
NGO, raised the issue sustained to the local infrastructure such as
roads, homes and agricultural plots along the route its vicinity.
The construction of the BTC pipeline in Georgia has continued against
the background of constant protest rallies. Over 44 households of the
village of Gardabani in the Krtsanisi region staged a protest rally
at BP's Tbilisi office on December 13, later blocking the
construction of BTC and demanding reimbursement for damage inflicted
by the British company. Residents of Georgia's southern province of
Samtskhe-Javakheti have also held demonstrations, claiming that BP
has deceived them and failed plots taken for construction. The
pipeline goes through 72 populated districts. The question remains
open, as the company refuses to offer any compensation.
The second issue that Green Alterative complains about us the quality
of construction. Ms. Gujaraidze told GT: "There are no safety
guarantees for the Borjomi section of the pipeline. You might
remember the issue of the cover up of damaged areas of the pipeline.
A month ago we appealed to the Ministry of Environmental Protection
and Nature Resources, asking about the state of these damaged areas,
but they have not responded yet."
The BTC oil pipeline construction was suspended in Georgian from late
spring to early autumn of 2004, when the Georgian authorities
demanded BP take additional safety measures in the Borjomi valley and
allocate additional funds for this purpose.
In December of 2004, the British newspaper The Sunday Times reported
that, as operator of the BTC oil export pipeline and the South
Caucasus (SCP) gas pipeline project, which runs from Azerbaijan
through Georgian to the Turkish Mediterranean coast, BP was on
collision course with the Georgian parliamentary inquiry that it has
misled people about the safety of the strategic international
pipeline, which is backed with ₤60 million of public money.
According to WWF's Caucasus office, the public was not well informed
about safety flaws in BTC's construction, including reports about the
cracking of a vital anti corrosion coating used to protect pipeline
joints. WWF also complained that it was impossible to hold
constructive dialogue with BP over these problems, and reiterated
that despite the "unprecedented" safety measures used during
construction, the pipeline still poses a risk to Borjomi, a famous
resort area renowned for its mineral waters, and to Borjomi `s
ecology.
7. TOURISM EMPLOYEES TO HOLD SEMINARS IN REGIONS
Source: State Telegraphic Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan,
Azertag, May30, 2005
A specialists from Baku sport and Tourism College and Cookery center
of the ministry of Youth, Sport and Tourism are planning to organize
a seminars for tourism employees in Guba, Gusar and Khachmaz regions,
reported our correspondent refers to Ministry's press service.
According to officials of the Ministry's Department on Tourism, a
main goal for seminars is improvement of the service level for
tourists. The potential attendants of tourists' centers will be
getting certificate after seminars. Trainings will be held in the
Guba rest home and "Atlant" tourist center in Nabran.
8. Customer Relations Skills (CRS) course
On June 15-17, 2005 - offered by ctc -- Centre for Training and
Consultancy
What is Customer Relations Skills (CRS)?
Avery single company is it a business entity, public body or
non-governmental organization has a customer, who is the reason of
their existence. Therefore, it is essentially important to make and
keep the customer happy. Besides products, companies deliver service
and as we all know good service largely determines customer
satisfaction. In order to provide perfect service, staff should
possess basic customer relations skills and this is something anyone
can be trained in. CRS course aims to convey general knowledge about
customers, to train participants in customer relations skills and to
develop positive attitude towards their job. These all will help
participants in future to improve their performance, level and the
quality of the service provided and teach them how to exceed the
customer expectations.
For the more detailed information please see the attached file.
9. Vacancy Announcements
Dear CENN Readers,
Please see the attached file ToRs for two open positions: National
and Local Stakeholder Consultant under the UNDP/GEF project "Reducing
trans-boundary Degradation of the Kura-Aras River Basin".
10. EIA Reports
Source: "Sakartvelos Respublica" ("Republic of Georgia"), May 29,
2005
In accordance with the Georgian legislation on "Environmental
Permits" were submitted the following reports to obtain the
environmental permits:
1. Technical-technological report and mitigation
measures KP 114, KP 119+300 deposits (Tsalka region) development
technological schemes (project) submitted by Spi Petrofac to obtain
the environmental permit for the activity of second category;
2. Program of development and maintenance of the
hunting farms "Fauna", technical-economical statement project in Gori
region submitted by Ltd. "Fauna" to obtain the environmental permit
for the activity of second category;
3. Development and Bottling of the Spring Water
"Kokatauri" in Kedi region. Village Kokatauri submitted by Ltd.
"Kokatauri" to obtain the environmental permit for the activity of
second category;
4. Development of the Sand-gravel deposit with
acquire of sand in Bolnisi region, Village Nakhiduri submitted by
Ltd. "Mashavera 2003" to obtain the environmental permit for the
activity of second category;
5. Research and Development of Inert materials in
Tsalka Region, Village Beshtasheni and along the Imeri submitted by
the entrepreneur "Iakubovich Koriaki" to obtain the environmental
permit for the activity of second category;
6. Research and Development of the Inert materials
in Tsalka region, Villages Tsintsvari, Darakovi, Jinisi and
Vezelkilsa submitted by the entrepreneur "Lursparonian Ambarcum" to
obtain the environmental permit for the activity of second category;
7. Development and Bottling of the Mineral Water
"Skuri" in Tsalenjikha region. Village Skuri submitted by Ltd.
"Skuri" to obtain the environmental permit for the activity of second
category;
8. EIA Report of the Oil Reservoir in Tbilisi, 10,
Moscow Ave., submitted by Ltd. "Metekhi 95" to obtain the
environmental permit for the activity of first category;
EIA reports are available at the Department of Environmental Permits
and State Ecological Expertise (6 Gulua Str.). Interested
stakeholders can analyze the document and present their comments and
considerations until July 14, 2005.
Public hearing will be held on July 14, 2005 at 12:00, at the
conference hall of the Ministry of Environment.
*******************************************
CENN INFO
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)
Tel: ++995 32 75 19 03/04
Fax: ++995 32 75 19 05
E-mail: [email protected]
URL: www.cenn.org
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