Building Europe’s largest gas exploitation – Neptun Deep – next to a war zone, without a risk analysis of the drifting sea mines on the installations and without proposing a series of measures necessary to reduce the associated risks is pure suicide, say representatives of Greenpeace Romania.

„We don’t see an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine any time soon. It is pure suicide to build Europe’s largest gas exploitation next to a war zone, without first presenting a risk analysis of the drifting sea mines on the installations and without proposing a series of measures to reduce the associated risks. APM Constanta must urgently request these analyses from OMV and Romgaz before taking any final decision on the environmental agreement for the Neptun Deep project,” Greenpeace Romania campaign coordinator Vlad Catuna is quoted as saying in a press release.

Environmental activists point out that floating sea mines have caused numerous accidents in the Black Sea, some close to inhabited areas frequented by tourists. It has also been necessary to defuse several mines in the immediate vicinity of the planned Neptun Deep project.

„Especially during the construction phase, sea mines pose a risk to transport vessels and site personnel. Once the platform is in operation, mines can damage the transport pipeline, anchors or drill shafts. If gas leaks from mine damage, this would be a disaster for the climate. As Greenpeace’s analysis of EIA documents shows, a leak that lasts only a few days can release as much greenhouse gas as would be released in a full year of mining,” the source notes.

Neptun Deep is the largest planned fossil gas project in the European Union (EU).

According to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) documents analysed by Greenpeace, it will produce over 200 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to what Romania emits in three years.

„The Environmental Protection Agency of Constanta has sped up the approval process for Neptun Deep by publishing the final decision to issue the Environmental Agreement on June 14. This decision was issued without taking into account the risks posed by marine mines in the Black Sea and the environmental damage they could cause,” the release reads.

Greenpeace Romania has sued OMV Petrom and Romgaz, the City Hall and the Local Council of Tuzla, the Dobrogea Litoral Water Basin Administration and the „Grigore Antipa” National Institute for Marine Research and Development for irregularities in the approval processes and lack of transparency regarding crucial data on the toxic substances to be discharged into the Black Sea.

At the same time, the environmental organisation launched a petition to protect the Black Sea and stop the Neptun Deep project.

AGERPRES