After a tender was won by a specialist Italian company, the necessary equipment has arrived in Cyprus to begin the process.

The first step begins shortly, with the dismantling of the oil silos and other equipment. The Environmental Service is expected to greenlight the entire process in the coming days, after it has ensured that certain environmental terms and prerequisites have been met.

According to the timeframe, the entire area will change drastically, since all the metal equipment of the refinery will be dismantled.

Up until last year, the Cypriot oil silos were under the management of the Cypriot Company for Oil Storage (KETAP).

Of note is the fact that not only will KETAP not pay for the dismantling service, but it is expected to have income from the sale of the old equipment as scrap metal. In addition, during the next dismantling stages there will be income from scrap metal sales. In total, from the dismantling of the equipment, KETAP is expected to receive approximately €300,000 in income.

Buried asbestos

The next stage in the process will be even more crucial since, after the dismantling of the oil silos and other equipment, the size and depth of effects on the subsoil will be revealed, mostly due to leaks from the silos and pipelines in the area which have been operating there for nearly 45 years. For this matter, particularly strict terms of management and testing have been set, so that the degree of damage to the subsoil can be ascertained.

Also very crucial is the matter of digging out and disposing of a significant quantity of asbestos which had been buried under a warehouse since 1991.

In addition, particular care will be taken with digs which will take place underwater to remove pipelines, because there is a danger that polluting substances and fuel residue leak into the water.

Source: InCyprus