Elefsina Bay industrial activities, Greece

In Elefsina city (Attica region) several industries are in operation. Environmental degradation is a major problem, as law enforcement is very low. Citizens commitees are struggling for respect of environmenal laws and a healthier environment

Description:

Elefsina is a city located in the south east of Athens in Thriassion Pedio in Attica region coastal zone. The city is inhabited since 1600 BC and it was one of the 5 holly cities of the antiquity. At the end of the 19th century the first industries were located in the area. The construction of the railway, as well as the opening of the Corinth canal accelerated the procedures of industrial development. In the beginnings of the 20th century the population was doubled due to the settlement of refugees from Minor Asia and a military airport was constructed. After the 2nd World War the industry facilities were developed unregulated within the archaeological sites and the city. In the begging of ‘70s a USA marine military base was also constructed and its operation stopped in 1974 [1]. The unregulated expansion of industries and the incomplete legal framework, downgraded the city environment. In addition to this, and as in the wider area of Elefsina several industries were also located with no plans, the whole area is seriously degraded. Even if it is a coastal city, the access to the seafront was restored barely at the end of ‘80s. The operation of the commercial harbour and of Hellenic Petroleum company (ELPE – called Petrola at that time), amongst others industrial facilities, lead to the further pollution of the sea, air and groundwater aquifers. Several industries are subject to Seveso-Directive legislation (concerning the prevention and control of major industrial accidents). [2, 3]. The Petrola petroleum company installed its facilities in the area in 1972 following the compulsory expropriation of 200 ha of land and 90 ha of sea. The refinery started its operation with a temporary licence in 1975. In 1979 it got a first permission for expansion, which was first blocked due to society’s mobilization. Since the late ‘70s, local society started to react, asking for stopping the pollution of the wider area and setting up a regulatory framework. Petrola’s operation was one of the main reasons of reaction since then and it continues to be. Between 1986 and 1991 the company proceeded to one more expansion. In October 1991 a referendum was organized in the city of Elefsina by civil society and the 98% of the residents voted against expansions.

In September 1992, an explosion occurred in the refinery, killing 15 workers and injuring 10. The people held responsible for the incident were acquitted two years later. In 1993 the expansion plans were cancelled by the government.

In 1998 Petrola got permission for building a plant to produce desulphurised diesel, mineral oil and lubricants. In 2000 a Struggle Committee against expansions was organized and filed an action before the State of Council, along with Development Association of Thriassion. In the meantime, two more actions were filed. In 2008, the social movement put pressure on local authorities of Elefsina and neighboring municipalities to file one more action before the State of Council against the expansions of ELPE. The State of Council gave permission for the expansion and the new plant was built ignoring urban and forest planning regulations and its operation started without having obtained the necessary permissions.

On the other hand, a standard practice of the company is to provide sponsorships, gifts and promises to students, elderly people, extended families, local sports clubs, cultural events, school championships, trying to mollify citizens’ reactions. To some extend it has succeeded.

During the last years, civil society movements (e.g. Citizens Movement Ecoeleysis) have recorded tens of incidents in ELPE. [4, 5, 6, 7]. For instance, in 2014, audit bodies confirmed serious problems in the operation of one of the reactors of the new plant. [8] In May 2015, one more accident took place in ELPE and 4 workers were killed (out of 6 wounded). There were significant accusations that security measures were inadequate. ELPE assigned to subcontractors the works for the scheduled maintenance of the refinery, with a delay of 6 months. The accident was assigned to human error [9, 10, 11].

Even more, the environmental problems of the wider area are not restricted in ELPE company’s operation. Civil society movements fought – and keep fighting - for the cancelation of other companies’ projects (e.g. production of electricity by HALYVOURGIKI steel company - 2011), the proper operation of the Waste Sorting Centre and landfill in the neighbor municipality of Fylli, the access for residents to the coastal front, etc. [12, 13]

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Basic Data

Name of conflict:	Elefsina Bay industrial activities, Greece
Country:	Greece
State or province:	Attica
Location of conflict:	Municipality of Elefsina
Accuracy of location	HIGH (Local level)

Source of Conflict

Type of conflict. 1st level:	Industrial and Utilities conflicts
Type of conflict. 2nd level:	Urban development conflicts Chemical industries Ports and airport projects Ship-breaking yards E-waste and other waste import zones Deforestation Landfills, toxic waste treatment, uncontrolled dump sites Other industries Transport infrastructure networks (roads, railways, hydroways, canals and pipelines) Oil and gas refining Metal refineries Land acquisition conflicts Manufacturing activities Pollution related to transport (spills, dust, emissions)
Specific commodities:	Crude oil Land Electricity Manufactured Products Steel Cement Natural Gas Chemical products Fish Pesticides Tourism services Industrial waste Iron ore Shipyard, commercial port, ammunition manufacturing, archaeological sites

Project Details and Actors

Project details	N/A
Project area:	3,706
Level of Investment for the conflictive project	N/A
Type of population	Urban
Affected Population:	29,902 Municipality of Elefsina; 3,812,330 Attica Region
Start of the conflict:	01/01/1972
Company names or state enterprises:	Hellenic Petroleum (ELPE) from Greece Neorion Elefsis Shipyards from Greece Hellenic Defence Systems S.A. (ΕΒΟ-PYRKAL) from Greece TITAN Group from Greece HALYVOURGIKI from Greece Hellenic Halyvourgia from Greece Hellenic gas Transmission System Operator S.A. (DESFA) from Greece Oil facilities from Greece - Oil products storage and trafficking facilities (TEXACO, BP MOBIL, HELLAS, ELINOIL, MAMIDAKIS) Gas facilities from Greece - Gas storage, bottling and trafficking facilities (EKOLINA, Petrogaz, BP Hellas, Shell Gas, Prima Gas)
Relevant government actors:	Ministry of Economy, Infrastructure, Marine and Tourism (called Ministry of Development) http://www.mindev.gov.gr/el/ Ministry of Reconstruction of Production, Environment and Energy (called Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Public Works) http://www.ypeka.gr/Default.aspx?tabid=37&locale=en-US&language=el-GR Elefsina Port Authority, commercial port, http://life-ole.gr/home
Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available:	Struggle Committee against ELPE expansions and HALYVOURGIKI energy production plant, http://epitropiagona.blogspot.gr/ Oikopolis, http://xpolis.blogspot.gr/ Ecoeleysis, http://ecoeleusis.org/ Limni Koumoundourou (Komoundourou lake), http://limnik.blogspot.gr/; Mediterranean SOS Network, www.medsos.gr; Greenpeace Hellas, www.greenpeace.org/greece/el; WWF Hellas, www.wwf.gr;

Conflict & Mobilization

Intensity	MEDIUM (street protests, visible mobilization)
Reaction stage	In REACTION to the implementation (during construction or operation)
Groups mobilizing:	Industrial workers Local ejos Local government/political parties Neighbours/citizens/communities Social movements Trade unions Local scientists/professionals Fisher people
Forms of mobilization:	Blockades Development of a network/collective action Involvement of national and international NGOs Lawsuits, court cases, judicial activism Media based activism/alternative media Official complaint letters and petitions Public campaigns Referendum other local consultations Street protest/marches Strikes Appeals/recourse to economic valuation of the environment

Impacts

Environmental Impacts	Visible: Air pollution, Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Desertification/Drought, Fires, Floods (river, coastal, mudflow), Global warming, Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Noise pollution, Soil contamination, Soil erosion, Waste overflow, Oil spills, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physico-chemical, biological) quality, Groundwater pollution or depletion, Large-scale disturbance of hydro and geological systems, Reduced ecological / hydrological connectivity
Health Impacts	Visible: Accidents, Occupational disease and accidents, Deaths, Other Health impacts
Other Health impacts	Respiratory disease
Socio-economical Impacts	Visible: Increase in Corruption/Co-optation of different actors, Lack of work security, labour absenteeism, firings, unemployment, Loss of livelihood, Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures, Loss of landscape/sense of place

Outcome

Project Status	In operation
Conflict outcome / response:	Under negotiation
Proposal and development of alternatives:	The development of alternatives to the current situation in Elefsina is not a simple issue. As the wider area of Thriassion has been developed with no spatial planning and industrial facilities were built in the city and on the coastal line, civil society movements ask for the enforcement of environmental regulations and the stop of any new industrial plans for the area.
Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?:	No
Briefly explain:	Despite civil society struggles and requests for law enforcement and for a regulatory frame for the operation of industries, the state and the competent ministries and authorities neglect their demands. As Elefsina, and the wider area, was developed as an industrial area, a considerable proportion of the residents work in the neighboring industries. Civil society asks for measures for the protection of the environment and habitants’ and workers’ health. Although, as some of the industries located in the area are very powerful, there are many incidents of corruption and the state doesn’t fulfill not even the minimum obligations emerging from the national and EU legal framework.

Sources & Materials

Juridical relevant texts related to the conflict (laws, legislations, EIAs, etc)

[2] EU, The Seveso Directive
[click to view]

References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries

Denis Guzzo, Wasting Mytholoy project
[click to view]

[3] Ecological, Cultural Association of Chaidari
[click to view]

[4] Foteinakis K., 2015, My story, my sin: from the refineries of Petrola-ELDA to ELPE
[click to view]

[5] Mediterranean SOS Magazine, 2002, Elefsina: a city with two faces, Issue 34, January-March

[6] Greenpeace Greece, 2010, 20 years of action
[click to view]

[7] Sarantis T., 2015, The “accidents” of the past in ELPE refinery, Journal Efimerida ton Syntakton
[click to view]

[8] WWF Hellas, Problems in the operation of ELPE Refinery in Elefsina and the implementation of Seveso Directive
[click to view]

[9] Left.gr, 2015, Human error indicates the outcome for the murderous explosion in ELPE
[click to view]

[10] Efsyn.gr, 2015, In extremely critical condition three injured in ELPE, Journal Efimerida ton Syntakton
[click to view]

[11] Journal Rizospastis, 2015, Shocking testimony for ELPE: The "accident" was a prescribed crime
[click to view]

[12] Oikopolis, 2011, Local Authorities and citizen’s protest at the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change, reacting to the creation of an energy production plant in HALYVOURGIKI, steel company
[click to view]

[13] Oikopolis, 2015, EMMERGENCY .... smoke and stench of the burned KDAY (Recyclable Materials Sorting Center) in Aspropyrgos has choke Athens,
[click to view]

1] Municipality of Elefsina
[click to view]

Related media links to videos, campaigns, social network

Agelastos petra, Documentary on contemporary Elefsina
[click to view]

Meta information

Contributor:	Ermioni Frezouli, Geography Department - Harokopio University Athens (HUA).
Last update	18/08/2019
Conflict ID:	2102