The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) has submitted a Preliminary Environmental
Impact Assessment (PEIA) to the Greek Ministry of Environment. This application
is an addition to the scoping documents that TAP submitted earlier this year in
preparation for its full Environmental & Social Impact Assessment (ESIA). In
addition to complying with Greek law, TAP has also decided to carry out its
impact assessment in accordance with the stringent international guidelines from
the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to ensure that the
project optimises environmental and social performance.
The PEIA
gives further detail on the location of TAP’s routing, as well as the evaluation
of the alternative routes analysed by the TAP team. This includes more
information, for example, on modelling of the preliminary air emissions and on
the previously undeveloped sections along the pipeline
route.
Martin Ferguson,
TAP’s HSE and CSR Director, commented: “With
this important submission, TAP continues to show its progress on minimizing any
negative environmental and social impact of the project in Greece. We involved
many experts and various Greek authorities in preparing this report. In
addition, we met communities along our proposed pipeline route and listened to
their concerns. Now we are confident that the selected route is the most
environmentally effective solution and it will not adversely affect any
communities along the pipeline. We will continue to use this approach for our
future submissions and will adhere to the highest standards recognised by Greek
national law as well as the international community, including the
EBRD.”
Rikard Scoufias,
TAP’s Country Manager in Greece, commented:
“Protecting the environment and ensuring that our project brings positive social
benefits are key considerations for TAP, as well as for the communities affected
by the project. The environmental and social impact assessment is the basis for
getting this right, and I am very pleased with the excellent cooperation our
teams have had with the Greek authorities, local stakeholders and national
experts in preparing this.”
Once the
Greek authorities have provided their comments on the PEIA application, TAP will
use their input for preparing the full border-to-border Environmental and Social
Impact Assessment. In the meantime, the project will continue its extensive
stakeholder consultation engagement and route refinement activities in
Greece.
Link to the
Preliminary Environmental Impact Assessment >>