no ebrd money for sakhalin!
In 2007, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced that it would no longer consider funding the Sakhalin II project, which will produce offshore gas and oil from Russia’s far eastern coast. In 2001, the shareholders of Sakhalin Energy – Shell, Mitsui and Mitsubishi – asked the EBRD to partially finance the project. This prompted many, including Friends of the Earth groups, to pressure the Bank not to do so.
The Sakhalin II project is responsible for a number of environmental and social concerns. These include infringing on the feeding grounds of the rare Western Gray Whale, disrupting the local community, and tapping into fossil fuels which will produce over a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide.
They also say that more than a million tonnes of waste from construction work for the LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) plant on the island has been dumped in Aniva Bay, an economically important fishing area. Around one-third of Sakhalin Island's residents depend on the fishing industry.
The project is responsible for some 800 kilometers of pipelines running from north to south of the island, crossing through around 1000 rivers, many of them fine salmon sources. Construction work has caused mud to harm water quality, and rivers will be vulnerable to potential future oil spills. The pipeline also crosses earthquake fault lines.
with thanks to our funders: the dutch ministry of foreign affairs, the wallace global fund and the c.s. mott foundation
