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From Bulgaria

08.05.2013 17:49

Bulgaria Approved the Environmental Impact Assessment of Nabucco Pipeline

Bulgaria is now the second NABUCCO country to successfully finish the permitting process, after Hungary

AUTHOR: publics.bg

© Nabucco

NABUCCO Gas Pipeline International GmbH announced today, that the environmental permitting process for the Bulgarian section of the pipeline route is now complete. Bulgaria is now the second NABUCCO country to successfully finish the permitting process, after Hungary.

Reinhard Mitschek, CEO of NABUCCO Gas Pipeline International said: “Completion of the EIA process in Bulgaria is another milestone for the project and further demonstrates the advanced stage of technical development of NABUCCO. Bulgaria is now the second country to approve the realization of the NABUCCO on its territory, demonstrating that the project is fully in line with the highest international and national regulations and standards.”

The decision with which it was proposed to the Minister of Environment and Water to

approve the realization of the investment proposal for construction of the Nabucco gas pipeline section, located on Bulgarian territory, was taken at a meeting of the Supreme Environmental Expert Council (SEEC), an instrument of the Ministry of Environment and Water, which council includes representatives from government bodies as well as civil society.

The Ministry of Environment and Water has also approved a preliminary implementation of the NABUCCO EIA permit.

Teodora Georgieva, Managing Director of the NABUCCO National Company in Bulgaria, said: „The EIA Decision is a common success resulting as from the work of the whole Nabucco team. We faced the enormous challenge – to reach the population and to organize public hearings in 30 municipalities. During the EIA process we made connection with the main interested parties and we consider this as our great achievement in relation to the long-term perspective for the project in Bulgaria. Based upon the Intergovernmental agreement and Project Support Agreement, the cooperation with the Bulgarian authorities has been exemplary. This was the first meeting of the SEEC where a decision had an overwhelming majority of supporting votes.

The approval of the immediate execution of the decision also demonstrated the complete support on behalf of the state for our project”.

NABUCCO will continue working with the Bulgarian authorities in the course of the incoming processes, connected with obtaining the other permits, necessary for the project realization- the DZP (detailed zoning plan- parcel plan) approval and issuance of the construction permit.

The EIA report was prepared and submitted to the Ministry of Environment and Water on 31 October 2012. A positive opinion on the Quality of the report was obtained on 17 December 2012. Public hearings were held between 5-25 February in over 30 stakeholder municipalities.