Protests Against LNG Terminals Held in Trieste

EKO Kvarner

A great international protest against the planned construction of two LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) terminals near Trieste were held on July 1 in this North Adriatic city. The two terminals are to be located in the open sea, near the sear boundary with Slovenia, while the other will be built inland.

The protests were deemed successful by the organizers, not the least because it was joint initiative of civil society representatives from Slovenia, Croatia and Italy, with the help from �Mladina�, prominent Slovenian weekly.

The Eko Kvarner environmental association believes there are at least two important reasons why Italian authorities should reconsider their decision on the location of the two terminals.

First, having in mind that the port of Trieste accepts over 300 tanker ships annually, carrying over 30 million tons of crude oil for the TAL pipeline, the port facilities would be dangerously strained by the additional load of about 200 LNG vessels docking each year, a situation that could lead to grave maritime catastrophes.

Second, the cooling of the sea-water that occurs during the regasification of LNG and the release of huge quantities of chemicals used to conserve the pipelines could further contribute to deterioration of already endangered eco-system of the Bay of Trieste.

The only interest taken into account during the selection of locations was the interest of the investors, who wanted the terminals as close to Central Europe consumers as possible.

�We believe such behaviour is as arrogant as possible, for it fully denies the right of citizens to decide their own destiny and is, in our opinion, pure case of neo-colonialism�, states the association.

Eko-Kvarner condemns the completely inadequate reaction by political elites in the three countries, with the exception of Slovenian President Drnovsek, who constantly support projects dangerous for the environment, in a manner most favourable to investors. Also, the governments failed to provide their respective publics with enough information about the project, and the ESPO Convention procedures on cross-border environmental impact was not completed by the Italian Government.

Finally, Eko-Kvarner protests the behaviour of Italian border police, who subjected the organization�s activists to lengthy search procedures and increased supervision.

�In the strong sun, that was not the most pleasant of experiences�, say Eko-Kvarner representatives and add that it made them arrive late in the protest.

�We find such treatment (fully reminiscent of the treatment the passengers to the former USSR were subjected to) completely unacceptable�, conclude Eko-Kvarner representatives.