AMBO pipeline project

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AMBO Pipeline Project

The AMBO project (Albanian Macedonian Bulgarian Oil Corporation) consists of the construction of an oil pipeline from the Bourgas gulf (Bulgaria) through Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Albania to the port of Vlore (Albania). The 894.5 km long pipeline has been designed to facilitate the transfer of some 30-40 million tonnes of crude oil per year from the Caspian region to the Adriatic Sea and further – to Europe and the US. The debate around the project has so far taken 13 years and is not over yet. Total project costs are estimated to be USD 1.8 billion.
The project is portrayed by the AMBO Corporation as safe, necessary for the region, bringing economic development and new jobs, but in reality, as any other pipeline construction, it will pose a significant threat to the environment. Additionally, mega infrastructure projects like AMBO and the set of other fossil fuels projects for increasing energy generation and oil/gas transit in the Balkan region divert effort and crowd out financing for smaller-scale sustainable energy developments.
AMBO would be an integral part of the “Vlore Energy Park”, comprising in total seven new thermal power plants (on refined oil), an oil refinery and an oil storage facility. The oil complex is to be situated on the Vlore Riviera, which until now has been Albania’s most popular tourist area, and would encroach on Narta Lagoon National Park. For several years there has been strong opposition from Albanian citizens and as a result the Albanian government has requested the AMBO Corporation to change the location of the oil terminal. The EBRD and IFC have already approved financing for the first oil thermal power plant in spite of extreme problems with public participation, which resulted in an Aarhus Convention ruling in favour of the Alliance to Save Vlore Bay.
The NGOs in Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania are concerned with many environmental issues related to AMBO: the increased risk of oil spills pollution in the Bourgas Gulf area also due to the plans to construct Bourgas- Alexandropoulis pipeline, seismic activity on the pipeline route and the pipeline crossing protected areas such as: Monument of nature “Peshti” gorge in Macedonia and the Bulgarian “Rila” National park, “Atanasovo” Lake Reserve, “Ostrica” Reserve and “Vitosha” Nature Park.
The AMBO pipeline if constructed will have significant climate impact. The amount of oil that would be delivered by the AMBO pipeline would induce more than 100 millions tons of CO2 per year. This exceeds the annual Bulgarian, Macedonian and Albanian CO2 emissions combined.
The NGOs from Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania carefully monitor the development of this project. Their goals are focused on preventing public financial support from IFIs to the AMBO; ensuring adequate public participation and regard to environmental concerns in all three countries and stopping the project or considerably changing the project design in order to prevent environmental and social damage.

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