Environmental impact assessment methodological framework for liquefied natural gas terminal and transport network planning

The recent discovery of significant offshore natural gas reserves in the Aphrodite field, south of the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea, changes the energy landscape in the greater Mediterranean-Middle East-Caucasian Region. In this paper, different alternative locations for the construction and operation of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal station in Cyprus were evaluated, explicitly considering also their connection to the power generation station of Mari and the country's gateway.The problem of determining the optimal location for an LNG terminal in Cyprus has been approached using multiple methodological components, which consider environmental and transportation issues, both technocratic in nature, as well as more subjective and based on expert opinion. The first step was a REGIME multi-criteria decision analysis used to prioritize alternative LNG terminal locations. Then, multiple modes (railroad and pipeline) of transportation connections were evaluated and geometric alignments were proposed, considering a multitude of restrictions. Finally an environmental impact assessment based on a structured questionnaire and an expert panel was conducted to validate and assess the impact of the alternative options (combination of location and transportation mode and route). During the evaluation process parameters such as safety, existing infrastructure, and access were also considered.