While private companies are progressing with soil decontamination procedures following the removal of oil tanks on the Larnaca-Dekelia road, the government continues to move very slowly regarding the closure of the chemical plant and the cleanup of the former refinery site.
The closure of the chemical plant was postponed once again due to a new obstacle, with the delay pushing back plans for the area, part of which the Larnaca Municipality has requested to develop into a student campus.
The closure of the chemical plant was announced last September.
The Government made this decision under the premise that oil analyses could be covered by the private sector. However, it was later found that existing legislation does not allow the government to conduct chemical analyses in the private sector, leading to plans to amend the legislation in order to close the plant by the first quarter of 2024.
However, even this date was not met as a new obstacle was identified, postponing its closure to the summer. According to information from reliable sources cited by Phileleftheros, the new delay arose from the realization that private chemical companies require special certifications to conduct laboratory tests on fuels.
For this reason, a new timeline was provided by the Cyprus Petroleum Storage Company (KEPAP), which was referred to the Energy Service to assess its “realistic and feasible” nature, as reported in our newspaper.
Procedures for the closure of the chemical plant began as far back as 2017. The site was part of the third phase of dismantling and decommissioning the former refinery’s facilities. Initially, it was decided that the chemical plant would be relocated elsewhere, but efforts to relocate it to the EAC facilities were unsuccessful, leading to the decision to close it.
The new delay prompted a reaction from the Mayor of Larnaca, who noted that many efforts had been made for a long time to expedite the procedures.
“Their attitude is unacceptable; we were promised that it would be removed, and we hope this will be the last timeline given,” Vyras stated, adding that soil cleanup is also pending. Meanwhile, the cleanup of the soil at the former refinery site, which covers an area of ​​155,000 square meters, is expected to be a particularly time-consuming process, putting the plans of the Larnaca Municipality on hold.
It is worth noting that in the autumn of 2023, the Larnaca Municipality, through a letter to the Minister of Finance, requested the leasing of state land and the granting of sub-leasing rights at a low annual rent, with the aim of advancing its plans to establish the first private university in the area where KEPAP buildings are located.
