|
Каспинфо ноябрь 2004 |
|
Название: СООБЩЕНИЯ НПО О ПРОЕКТЕ БТД (на англ. яз) Главные Пункты: * Крупнейший банк Италии Banca Intesa принял решение продать свои акции на 60 млн дол. в проекте БТД из-за высоких рисков этого проекта. (30.11.2004) Полный Текст СООБЩЕНИЯ НПО О ПРОЕКТЕ БТД (на англ. яз) СООБЩЕНИЯ НПО О ПРОЕКТЕ БТД (на англ. яз) **** PRESS RELEASE FROM: Baku-Ceyhan Campaign Friends of the Earth PLATFORM Corner House FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 1st 2004 Major Private Backer Pulls Out of Embattled BP Oil Pipeline Italy's Largest Bank Selling its $60 Million Stake in Baku-Ceyhan Project Italy's largest bank, Banca Intesa, has decided to sell its $60 million stake in BP's hugely controversial Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline, a new article reveals today. So concerned is Banca Intesa at the reputational and other risks associated with the BTC project that it has already sold one third of its share at a loss. The decision by Banca Intesa to abandon the embattled BTC project is disastrous for BP, as the long-term viability of the pipeline depends on support from private finance. The move, reported in a detailed article by journalist Michael Gillard on the Spinwatch website (www.spinwatch.org Intesa's deepening concern over evidence of safety failures and BP incompetence, first raised by former BP consultant Derek Mortimore earlier this year. Mortimore noted that BP's choice of safety coating for the Georgian and Azeri sectors of the BTC project would not work, leaving the pipeline open to corrosion, leakage and possible explosions. This directly contradicted repeated assurances from BP that pipeline leakage would be "virtually impossible." BTC passes through several areas of outstanding natural beauty on its way to delivering Caspian oil to Western markets. The UK government has subsequently admitted to a parliamentary inquiry that the coating system has no track record, contrary to its previous assurances, and that the pipeline would be likely to fail some time during its forty year operational life. Engineers' reports further suggest that the equivalent coating for the Turkish sector has suffered "catastrophic failures" on four other pipelines. According to Gillard, the revelations "staggered" Banca Intesa, which agreed to participate in BTC only because of the involvement of the World Bank, and was "very disturbed" at the Bank's lack of due diligence. Greg Muttitt of PLATFORM, one of a coalition of human rights and environmental organisations that have been monitoring the BTC project for the last three years, said, "This extraordinary move shows just how widespread concerns about the safety of BTC now are. When a major private backer pulls out of a project, it suggests that something is seriously wrong: the private sector doesn't take financial losses on its investments without a very good reason." Nick Hildyard of the Corner House, another group involved in monitoring BTC, said, "Banca Intesa's withdrawal adds yet more credence to our demand for an independent audit of the safety of the Baku-Ceyhan project. BP guaranteed affected people that they would not suffer as a result of this project. Why won't they prove that by having the pipeline audited?" Gillard's article, in addition to its revelations on Banca Intesa, provides a detailed account of the safety issue and of allegations of procurement fraud and incompetence that have dogged BP for the last two years. For more information, contact: Michael Gillard 07949 964354 Anders Lustgarten 07973164363 Greg Muttitt 07970589611 Nick Hildyard 01258 817518 ** 17:20 01Dec2004 RTRS-Italy's Banca Intesa quits BTC oil pipeline project LONDON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Italy's Banca Intesa Wednesday that it had pulled out of an international syndicate financing the BP-led Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline project. "We confirm the sale of part of our investment and we are in addition negotiating with several parties for the complete sale of our position," an Intesa spokeswoman said. She did not give a reason for the decision. Earlier the Baku-Ceyhan Campaign, a group opposed to the BTC, said the bank, a member of the syndicate that has signed off a $1 billion financial package for the pipeline, had quit the project and had already sold part of its $60 million share. The BTC which is expected to become operational early next year, will link Azerbaijan's oilfields to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, providing a direct outlet for Caspian oil to European markets. But several environmental and human rights groups comprising the Baku-Ceyhan Campaign say the project will be disastrous for the fragile ecology of the Caspian and will not benefit the region's population. "This extraordinary move shows just how widespread concerns about the safety of BTC now are," said Greg Muttitt of Platform, a member of the Baku-Ceyhan Campaign. The oil companies and lenders argue that the one million barrels per day (bpd) BTC is key to unlocking the impoverished region's economic potential. They say the pipeline conforms to the highest environmental standards. ((Reporting by Sujata Rao in London and Christian Plumb in Milan; London Newsroom +44 20 7542 8185 sujata.rao@reuters.com)) For Related News, Double Click on one of these codes: [O] [ESL] [EMK] [OIL] [CRU] [AZ] [IT] [FIN] [EUROPE] [RU] [TR] [GB] [US] [ENV] [JP] [DE] [LEN] [RTRS] [BIN.MI] For Relevant Price Information, Double Click on one of these codes: BIN.MI Wednesday, 01 December 2004 17:20:02RTRS [nL01560996] {EN}ENDS |