Azerbaijan, Baku, July 22 / Trend, A.Badalova /
The Nabucco project consortium has received the first permits to conduct environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA), Nabucco project Communications Expert Gabriele Egartner wrote Trend in an e-mail.
"In some countries first ESIA permits have been obtained already. The ESIA permitting phase will be completed as soon as possible," Egartner said. She did not disclose the countries that received the permits.
Egartner said the scoping stage is already successfully completed in all 5 transit Nabucco countries (Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey). Currently, the preparation of the ESIA documentation is underway, she said.
"ESIA is a pre-condition for obtaining construction permits in most of the Nabucco countries - Nabucco will apply for construction permits subsequently to the completion of ESIA permitting," Egartner said.
This week Italian engineering company D'Appolonia S.p.A. (D'Appolonia) has been appointed as new ESIA (Environmental and Social Impact Assessment) Advisor for the Nabucco Pipeline Project. The company will deal with ensuring the harmonization of standards and requirements of the Nabucco Gas Pipeline Intrenational and international financial institutions, as well as the preparation of all necessary ESIA documentation.
Nabucco project envisages gas supplies from the Caspian region and the Middle East to the EU countries. Participants of the project are Austrian OMV, Hungarian MOL, Bulgarian Bulgargaz, Romanian Transgaz, Turkish Botas and German RWE companies. Each of participants has equal share to the amount of 16.67 percent.
The project's construction is planned to start in 2013. The pipeline's maximum capacity will hit 31 billion cubic meters per year.