The Cyprus Department of the Environment has issued a permit to dismantle Intergaz's large gas storage facility on the coast of Larnaca.
The company has already started implementing the ambitious plan.
The works include the demolition of the ground distribution station, the demolition of 10 metal tanks with a capacity of 227.15 m3 apiece, 2 cylindrical tanks with a capacity of 89 m3 and 50 m3, tanks for the fire-fighting system, gas filling and service installations, as well as small concrete and metal structures. It should be noted that earlier such companies as Petrolina, EKO, Synergas have already dismantled their tanks in the coastal zone of Dekelia.
As expected, the next step will be the announcement of a tender by the Department of Public Works to conduct a study on erosion control works to be carried out on a 3-kilometer stretch of beach.
As a reminder, the Cyprus Oil Refinery, formerly located on the outskirts of Larnaca, was closed in April 2004.
Instead it, an oil storage facility was created, where private fuel companies operating in Cyprus kept their stocks, as well as the state organization KODAP, responsible for maintaining the volume of the republic's strategic fuel reserves.
In May 2018, its first fuel tank was demolished by Petrolina. It was the largest in capacity ever built in Cyprus. In March this year, the company began dismantling another 19 fuel tanks with a total capacity of about 40,000 m3. It was given three months to do so.
In turn, Hellenic Petroleum started demolishing its tanks in April 2021. All facilities, pipelines, tanks, and equipment that were part of the company's oil storage facility were dismantled during the work. A third company, Exxon Mobil, was given three months to clean up the site, but the process was severely delayed.
It should be said that the transfer of oil storage tanks in the suburbs of Larnaca will free up about 3 kilometers of coastline.
Part of the new multi-million dollar project includes the creation of a promenade along the Larnaca-Dekelia road, a linear park covering the coastal strip, a multifunctional ecological axis on Psiloritis Street.
In addition, the municipality plans to clean up the artificial canals flowing from Livadia and the Archangelos Kamitsis River, which is located near Jumbo. On the vacated land they want to create a garden city "Arkolivada", as well as develop the area with residential and tourist neighborhoods. The Municipality of Larnaca emphasized that the site, where oil and gas facilities were located for a long time is in unprecedented demand from investors. Thus, the City Hall has already received several proposals for the subsequent development of the area.