ZAGREB, Jan 16 (Hina) - Primorje-Gorski Kotar County head Zlatko Komadina and Omišalj municipal head Mirela Ahmetović held a news conference on Monday, again voicing their opposition to a project to build a floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Omišalj on the island of Krk, as well as to the adoption of a law that would facilitate its construction.
"After the failure of the plan by the government and the LNG Hrvatska company, which have declared the terminal a strategic project, they are now pushing things further by derogating existing laws and starting work on a so-called Lex LNG, in order to bypass the necessary legal procedures," said Ahmetović, wondering "in whose interest the floating LNG terminal is."
She recalled that the planned floating LNG terminal, unlike the previously planned land terminal, was not in line with local physical plans and that there was no documentation based on which a site permit could be issued for the floating terminal.
Licences for the use of the maritime domain are issued based on public tenders, and Lex LNG is designed to bypass that procedure, Ahmetović said.
Komadina said that the adoption of the law required fulfilling environmental, economic and energy conditions set by the local community.
He noted that the local authorities were not against national strategic interests but insisted to be respected.
"There are various methods, including civil disobedience," he said, noting that there was concern that the LNG Hrvatska company would become foreign-owned in the course of the project and that it was questionable how much a foreign owner would care about the environment and the interests of the local community.
