Insider / ΚΥΠΕ
The Chairman of the Committee on Energy, Trade, Industry and Tourism, Kyriakos Hatzigiannis, stated today that there is a great need for coordination of the Services involved in the Vasilikos Energy Center, including the Police and the Fire Service, adding that the concerns of the residents are absolutely valid. area, businesses and Local Authorities.
Mr. Hatzigiannis made statements after a visit, made by the Parliamentary Energy Committee, to the Vasilikos Energy Center and an enlarged meeting, held at the Zygio Community Council.
“Things have to move at a very fast pace, since things have to be done, to be supplemented even with relevant Legislations. “However, he continued that, above all, the Services involved must assume their obligations,” he said.
He also described “it is inconceivable that the area of the Energy Center lacks policing, firefighting, fire safety, road and traffic works. “The relevant services should move at a faster pace,” he said, acknowledging that “there is a danger” in the area. He clarified that “there are the business plans of the companies, which are observed and made on the basis of international standards. However, when different companies are crowded (in one area) it accumulates and creates additional risks “.
He added that these risks as a whole should be managed. “Today we diagnosed the huge need for coordination of the Services”, which are involved in the Energy Center, he said and noted that this was said by all the participants, ie local authorities and companies, that someone must coordinate. “That is why we are coming up with a proposal for a Law that we will appoint a special committee based on the Law, who will be responsible for the operation of each industrial craft area with special provisions in the case of the Vasilikos Energy Center.”
Answering a relevant question, Mr. Hatzigiannis said that the concerns of the residents of the area, businesses and local authorities are completely valid. “On April 5, a session has been scheduled in Parliament where the political leaders will be invited to inform about the implementation and implementation of what has been committed both before the President of the Republic and today before the Parliamentary Committee and to report weaknesses, gaps. “remarks or suggestions that may exist,” he said.
To another question he answered that “it is a fact that we have an Energy Center and this means that the national interest, the national plans have accumulated all the relevant energy functions. “There are no other options and we must ensure the integrity of all energy operations in a way that eliminates potential or even potential risks, based on international standards.”
Mr. Hatzigiannis added that “other companies with other functions cannot come here to the area because they may not be able to find space to host them. The Vasilikos Energy Center should operate cleanly for the purposes and needs of the National Energy Policy “.
He noted that “tomorrow we may need to manage the national gas reserves, as well as its production and distribution. We have to anticipate, we have to be supplied and not inquired about what energy developments will come to find us next in this place “.
Asked about the lack of coordination of the necessary services, the Chairman of the Energy Committee of the Parliament reiterated that “several things have progressed and what is missing today is the energy” citing as an example “the Fire Service which must be of energy needs. , with specific equipment, action plan, human resources and knowledge. “Also, the area can not be policed with simple patrols once in a while, but electronic monitoring is definitely needed, as there may be a risk of a planned attack in the area.”
He can not continue all this “to leave them to chance, which may not happen. “We have to take into account that these are in the realm of the possible, the possible, and one can, for one's own expediencies, strike at national interests in this region, not only from mistakes, but also from a terrorist attack.”
For his part, Lefteris Fokas, Mayor of Kalavasos and Chairman of the Coordinating Committee of the nine Communities of the Vasilikos area said that “we are definitely concerned” about the issue of the security of the Energy Center and added that the planning of the Energy Center set some conditions, such as .χ. the infrastructure had to be completed first and then the liquid fuel and LPG transported to the area. “Unfortunately we were not heard and at the moment we are running to catch up,” he said.
He added that “so far there have been 15 accidents at the Energy Center and I consider that we are lucky that so far the accidents have not spread to dominoes and a major disaster has occurred. The design of the Energy Center started in 2014 but the company VTT Vasiliko had already been licensed, the construction works started and it operated a few years later “.
Asked what dangers the residents see in terms of the security of the Energy Center, Mr. Fokas answered that the dangers come from the fact that “many industries are concentrated in one location. The worst thing is that they want to license some facilities that will not concern energy issues, such as e.g. scrap metal which move because they are very dangerous “.
At the same time, he continued, “they want to license a methanol factory, which we consider to be A degree of danger and in the future we consider that we may have an accident”.
Asked how close the residential center is to the Energy Center, Lefteris Fokas replied that “the last residence of the Community of Zygiou is about 500 meters from the Center. “The paradox is that the Marie community is moving because it is affected by the Energy Center, but the residents were given plots of 500 meters to build their houses.”
He also noted that “without the consent of the Communities and without any consultation, as if by magic, overnight, the State took the area near Zygi, where the British radio station was located, and made it an industrial area. “Residents are worried and are asking the area not to house nuisance industries but to use it for warehouses and offices, so that they feel safer.”
It is noted that the enlarged meeting was attended by, among others, the Larnaca District, the Larnaca Police Director, representatives from various Departments of the Ministries of Interior, Energy, Transport, Agriculture and Labor, the Fire Service, companies operating in the Energy Center and .
