|
Каспинфо январь 2001 |
|
Название: Материалы на английском - I Главные Пункты: * Статья об истории, текущем состоянии и экологических аспектах проекта БТС и балтийского порта в Приморске. (05.01.2001) Полный Текст Материалы на английском - I *** CCB Issue Papers (NewsLetters 4) Action Alert! The Project of Baltic Oil Pipeline and New Oil Terminal in Primorsk Alexander Sutyagin, Russian NGO "Green World", Council Member, E-mail: greenalex99@mail.ru INTRODUCTION The export of the crude oil has great significance for budget of Russia, that main part is formed by oil or gas export profits. After breakdown of USR, Russia reserved only the one own oil terminal on the cost of Black Sea at Novorosiyssk. By this reason, President B.Eltsyn, by his decree # 557 at 6.06.97, decided to construct a new terminals at coastal zone of the Russian part of the Gulf of Finland with the purpose of protection of Russian economical and strategical interests. The terminals are planned in the Ust-Luga bay near game sanctuary "Kurgalskiy", in Batareynaya Bay inside wildlife sanctuary "Swan's", and the construction of largest oil terminal is started in Primorsk (Ermilovo), as the part of Baltic pipeline system (BPS) near nature sanctuary "Birch Islands" (see: map 1-2) The all above mentioned nature preserves are protected by International Ramsar convention and its are the important part of the European Nature 2000 network as a Special Protection Bird Areas ("Important Bird Areas in Europe: Priority sites for conservation", vol.1: Northern Europe, BirdLife conservation series 8, eds. M.F.Health, M.I.Evans, Cambridge, UK, 2000). The BPS will be used for crude oil transportation from Komi Republic (North-West of Russia) to Primorsk, Leningradskaya oblast (8-12 million tones) or to Porvoo, Finland (10 million tones). And the BPS will cross all main rivers such as Neva, Volhov and Ladoga lake water-gathering basin, that are the main water-drink sourses of St.Peterburg's citizens. The main stockholders of the BPS is now only Russian state company "Transneft" (Neste Oy from Finland was firstly planned etc.), and the operator is the joint-stock Russian company "BPS". The total cost of the first stage of the BPS project construction is 400-700 mil. USD, the BPS is mainly funded from Russian budget by special tarif on oil transportation by pipelines of "Transneft", foreign loans has been firstly planned with 300-400 mil.$ from WB, EBRD; it is recent planned with 100 mil.$ from EBRD(?) or private Western banks. RECENT SITUATION The realisation of BPS project has been started at April 2000 year with the deforestation of more than 96 ha of water-protected forest lands and the construction of oil terminal and oil storages have been started in Primorsk (Ermilovo), in the site of port. The constructions of underwater part (under Neva river) and Primorsk's part of oil pipeline have been started at November 2000. MAIN DECISIONS The BPS project has been holded by some last decisions of Russian Government: ct # 1325 from 16.10.97 "About project, construction and explotation of BPS"; Act # 476 from 30.04.99, "About financial support of BPS construction"; Act # 522 from 14.07.2000, "About financial support and construction of BPS". And the three main State Ecological Examinations of BPS project and EIA have been made: Act of State Ecological Committe, # 438, 13.10.97, on "Declaration on intentions of BPS construction" ; Act of State Ecological Committe, # 728, 30.12.98, on "About Substantiations of Loans to BPS project"; Act of State Ecological Committe, # 812, 30.12.99, on "Technico- Economical Substantiations (project) of the first stage of BPS construction". VIOLATIONS OF LEGISLATION Under of the preparation of the project and the state ecoligical examinations, on our opinion, the follow violations of Russian and international legislations have been made: ·the positive decision of State Ecological Examination on "Technico-Economical Substantiations (project) of the first stage of BPS construction" has been made with great number of essential remarks that was a violation of Russian law "On Ecological Expertise"; ·all main Russian President's and Government's Decrees and Acts on BPS project and all documents for its preparation and substantiation have not been experted by State Ecological Examination that's a violation of Russian law "On Ecological Expertise", par.11; ·there were not taken into account the Act of St.Petersburg's Governer #1151-r, 31.10.95, "About development of Federal health resort on the North cost of the Gulf of Finland and Karelskij isthmus" and Act of Russian Government #101, 2.02.1996 "About Federal Programme "Development of Federal Health Resort" during the BPS State Ecological Examination of the influence of BPS on this region; ·there were not real consultations with the people who live in these areas, because the hearings in Primorsk, St.Petersburg, Vsevologsk were formally organizated and the result of one of public hearings created by Transneft and Government of Leningradskaya oblast in August 1998 in St.Petersburg has been falsified; the public hearing at Nov.1999 in Vsevologsk has been prepared for special peoples who has been gathered by "Transneft"; ·there were not taken into account the influence of oil tanker transportations from Primorsk port on the Baltic Sea environment and need of the responsibility mechanism for oil accident and pollution prevention during the BPS State Ecological Examinations that contradicts to 1973/78 MARPOL Convention, 1974/92 Helsinki Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Areas and the Convention for EIA in the Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention), signed by Russia. The main remarks of State Ecological Examinations on BPS project are: ·the ecoinsurance of damage and oil accidents under BPS implementation should been done in accordance with Russian Federal law "On safety of unsafe industrial objects"; ·the complex system of localisation and liquidation of oil spills in the regions of influence of BPS with including of the cost of the system in the total cost of the project should been done; ·the special system of safety under oil transportation near the protected areas of nature reserve Birch Islands should been done in accordance of Act of Russian Government #1050, 13.09.1994 and Act of Government of Leningradskaya Oblast #494, 26.12.1996; ·the seeking of alternative sources for supply of drink water to St.Petersburg and regional towns should been done; as it follows from answer of the Governer of St.Petersburg Vladimir Yakovlev to Green World, the total cost of the damage of the BPS for a supply of the drink water could be 70-800 millions USD and these expenses should be included in the total expenses on the BPS project. After proccesing, project should be examinated by Regional State Ecological Committee that is impossible after President Vl.Putin's act on abolishment of it at 17 May of 2000 year. The strong decreasing of the level of monitoring and control in the site of project implementation is reality. Eonomical Impact There have been planned profit for Federal budget 42.12 mil. USD/per year and profit for Regional budget 86.9 mil. USD/per year. But total cost of damage for environment is 18-20 mil. USD by "Transneft" estimations excluding of the damage cost for recreations and resorts on Karelskij isthmus, coastel tourism, fishing, nature reserve Birch Islands, Baltic Sea environment! Social Impact The 700 new employees has been planned, but there is the possibility of lossing of old and new employees by strong decreesing of tourism, fishing, health-recreation business and usage of workers from another countries and regions of Russia under BPS construction is planned. Usage of best practice Presumable usage of underwater pipeline propagation across big rivers by method of inclined-directed boring has been planned. Really the construction has been begun with violation of safety of welding technology, welding control, hydroisolation of welding zones of pipeline, before of implementation of monitoring programme etc. Environment Impact The EIA of the BPS has been done by St.Petersburg division of "NORDECO"(Arhangelsk, Russia) and "Pipeline Engineering" Gmbx- Essen, Germany, winner of EBRD tender (TACIS, ERUS 9511, 1998). On our opinion, the main possible negative impacts of BPS may be: ·treat for the nature reserve "Birch Islands" as the Ramsar site for Baltic Red Book species: Whooper Swan, Bewick's Swan, Baltic Seals etc.; · oil and biological pollution (from tanker transportation) of the Russian part of the Gulf of Finland, the coastal restort zones of Karelskij isthmus and the Baltic Sea Areas; ·lossing of the main spawning-grounds of Baltic sprat and herring (50% of its total number in GoF is near Primorsk site up to Finnish border); ·lossing of the drink water sources for St.Petersburg and for the towns along the BPS; ·deforestation of more than one thousand hectars of water-protected forest lands; ·strong decreasing of costal tourism, recreation and restort power; ·threat of strong oil pollution for the Vyborg bay that is included in the Baltic Red Book of biotope complexes as future Baltic Sea protected area "Eastern Gulf of Finland", the important area for the protection of environment and biodiversity conservation (IUCN category II); ·threat of oil pollution for "Gladyshevskij" nature reserve protected UN as Baltic Salmon spawning-grounds. WHAT COULD WE DO and WHAT IS the BEST WAY? We surpose: wide public campaign against BPS project realisation; organisation of special CCB Working Group on strategy of campaign against BPS; appeal to EuroParliament, EuroCommission, EuroCouncil, Ramsar Committe, IUCN, BirdLife with demands to stop the BPS construction before International EIA; independent international inspection of port site jointly with experts, NGOs; demand tostop the Western bank's loans to PBS project such as possible loans from EBRD or private Western banks; taking into account of Alternative port site with purpose of conservation of Birch Islands as Special Ramsar and Russian Protection Areas; development of Oil Security Fund for Ecoinsuarence of all risks under the BPS implementation and the carring out of the responsibility mechanism for tanker oil transportations; boycott Russian and Western oil ship companies that will ferry oil from Primorsk; preparation a joint lawsuite against BPS at Russian Supreme Court and at European Court Stop the Construction of BPS and Oil Terminal in Primorsk! |