End in sight for dismantling of Larnaca oil storage facilities

The dismantling of the last remaining ExxonMobil oil storage facilities will be completed by the end of March, Larnaca municipality said on Wednesday.

The work, being carried out by Petrolina, began a month ago, the municipality said following a regular meeting with mayor Andreas Vyras on moving the refineries from the Larnaca-Dhekelia road to the new Vasiliko ‘energy hub’.

During the meeting, various issues were discussed regarding the operation of the new energy centre at Vasiliko, the municipality said.

The new facilities there will be ready on schedule at the end of February and the transfer to the new structures will take place throughout March.

“The municipality of Larnaca will continue to closely monitor developments and is ready to intervene if and when deemed necessary,” the statement said.

Larnaca has been trying to have the refineries and other facilities along the stretch of coastline moved for decades.

The plan is to create an urban space. The process of clearing the contaminated soil of the area will begin soon after the last remnants of the refineries are gone and it is estimated that within 12-14 months 99 per cent of the area will be cleaned up.

Moving the oil storage facilities is expected to free up two to three kilometres of coastline.

Part of the new multi-million reclamation project includes the creation of an urban square along the Larnaca-Dhekelia road, an embankment in the form of an extensive public linear park spanning the coastal front with a multifunctional environmental axis.