Italian engineering company D’Appolonia S.p.A. (D’Appolonia) has been appointed as new Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) Advisor for the Nabucco Pipeline Project, effective from 1 June 2011. With more than 50 years of experience in environmental and social issues, the Italian company is a leading specialist in this field and will support Nabucco in the efficient completion of the project-wide Environmental and Social Impact Assessment.

The main purpose of D´Appolonia’s appointment is to ensure the successful completion of an integrated project ESIA, fulfilling the requirements of the International Finance Institutions (IFIs) and complying with national and European legislation.

As such, D’Appolonia will be responsible for ensuring consistency between the national or “in-country” Environmental Impact Assessments and the project-wide Environmental and Social Impact Assessment, as well as for the harmonisation of both NIC’s and the IFIs’ (EIB, EBRD and IFC) standards and requirements, as confirmed in the Project Support Agreements (PSAs) in June.

More specifically, D’Appolonia will produce all the necessary documentation for the project-wide ESIA. As NIC’s advisor, they will ensure consistency between NIC and the NNCs and implement the necessary management systems such as the project stakeholder engagement documents, the land acquisition and compensation action plans, and the project environmental and social management plans both at project level and in-country. This will be coordinated in-country and at project level by dedicated teams who will advise the National Nabucco Companies and Local FEED engineers in all environmental and social related matters associated with the completion of the country E(S)IAs and relevant management plans.