Tbilisi (AsiaNews) Georgian authorities told British Petroleum (BP) to stop construction on the Baku (Azerbaijan)-Tbilisi (Georgia)-Ceyhan (Turkey) or BTC pipeline. Construction came to a halt in the Borjomi valley in western Georgia and should last about two weeks.
Georgia's Environment Minister Zaal Lomtadze has called for the "strictest respect of safety rules" to reduce risks to the environment. The suspension should give BP the time to obtain additional clearances concerning the environmental impact of the project.
Constructing the 17 km (10.5 miles) section of the pipeline in the Borjomi valley was already controversial in 2002 when the plan was first presented. Then Georgian President Shevardnadze agreed to it only by overruling his environment minister.
Georgian environment experts and geologists point out that the Borjomi valley is a highly seismic zone. Risks of earthquakes are great. If anything happens to the pipeline the environmental damages might be irreparable.
The valley is home to the Borjomi mineral springs whose water is famous throughout the former Soviet Union. .
Some observers remain however sceptical of the government's environmental élan. An oil expert working on the BTC project said that "it is likely that the Georgian government is using the environment to renegotiate the terms of the contract with BP."
Construction of the 1,750 km (1,100 mile) Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline should be completed by 2005. It is expected to pump a million barrels per day from the Caspian Sea to the Turkish coast on the Aegean.
The US$ 3.6 billion project is backed by the US government and is part of its strategy to diversify the West's petroleum supplies bypassing both Russia and Iran. (F.C.)