ECOLOGY

Azerbaijan possesses the great potential of renewable energy

Azerbaijan possesses the great potential of renewable energy sources, including power of sun, wind, thermal waters, biomass and etc. Turan was informed about this by Musa Rustamov the director of Petrochemical Processes Institute of the Azerbaijan Academy of Science.

According to him, sun power is available on the whole territory of the country; the most windy place is the shore of Caspian Sea; Kura and Arax rivers possess the great power and the less power is possessed by the small rivers in the mountain region. The main biomass volume (plants, animal waste, domestic drains and garbage) is created by agriculture and municipal activity.

As per Rustamov opinion, the most perspective for Azerbaijan in the nearest future is usage of sun and wind power, which contain sufficiently great potentials. Countries with close indexes on renewal energy sources use them very efficiently.

There are more than 270 windy days a year on Apsheron Peninsula, the average speed of wind is about 10 m/sec, which creates prerequisites for effective involvement of any type of wind aggregates in national economy, noted Rustamov.

Rustamov pointed out that country has enough technical abilities for conservation of these resources with an observance of severe ecological norms. But to this day the problems of joint use of these resources taking into account its compatibility (both in production and consumption of energy) have not been fully considered yet.

Ecological researches are being conducted in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea

Last Saturday the Russian vessel "Caspian Explorer" arrived to Baku port with an international expedition of specialists from Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Iran on its board.

Researches were organized by the Caspian ecological program (CEP) and thematic center "Effective regional evaluation of pollution level" (EREPL), which thereby realized the second stage of the Training Program on the sea - 2.

As the specialist on scientific communications and information board of CEP Vladimir Vladimirov informed corespondent of Turan, expedition within 21 days has already investigated abyssal central and southern parts of Caspian Sea for sampling of cumulative oil hydrocarbons, chlorinated hydrocarbon, micro-metals, biogenic elements in the sea-water.

The expedition also conducted the work on monitoring of background pollution of the sea, definition of pollution extent, measuring of water temperature and its salinity. The sampling was conducted both in main "hotspots", and along the shoreline of the Caspian Sea.

According to Vladimirov, the expedition conducted the work on the whole water area of the Caspian Sea, except Turkmenistan sector, its government still has not give the vessel official permission to enter its territorial waters.

"Our researches are financed by CEP. However, we also were helped by oil companies in the person of OKIOC and BP " Vladamirov. has pointed out. The Caspian ecological program is the regional program created by the Caspian countries with an assistance of international organizations (World bank, UN, EC/TACIS). Its headquarter is located in Baku.

90 percents of fish caught near ОКIОК - considered to be sick

As Saida Kubegenova biology PhD, head of morphology of animals lab in Kazakhstan State University named after Pharabi stated to journalists in Atiray, "practically all examined by us fish that was caught near drilling barge of ОКIОК on East Kashagan has appeared to be sick, and this illness is connected with an effect of hydrogen sulphite in fish organism". For several years Kubegenova has been participating in patamorphological researches of ichthyofauna of Kazakhstan shore of the Caspian Sea. Biologists selected about three hundred of fishes of different types and sizes. The fish was caught during different seasons. The fish internals its muscle and caviar were investigated in laboratory. The biologist informed that majority of fish caught last year has appeared to be sick. In their bodies and tissue were found progressing miocitolizm (destruction of muscles due to effect of acidic environment), focal necrosis in a liver, fatty dystrophy, gonad lysis - distraction of caviar in body. Comparing the obtained data with researches maid in previous years, the scientists came to the conclusion, that the illness progresses and the increasing number of fishes is getting sick. In 1996-1997 the pathological changes were observed only in very small number of fish, but later situation changed and aforementioned changes were already found in 90% of fish that was caught last year. Saida Kubegenova came out with a suggestions concerning the illness of fish: she thinks that such changes in fish's body could occur due to the fact that water area of the sea became acid, which could be caused only by hydrogen sulphite or sulphurous gas, which by interacting with water form sulfuric or sulphurous acid. As since the fish was caught near the drilling barge ОКIОК, it causes suspicions that exactly this company is responsible for situation discussed above. ОКIОК in its turn has commented on this information without delay. As the ОКIОК senior adviser on ecology Gordon Bitti stated, the company has opposite results. Scottish scientist

Khyg Fergyson also conducts researches by request of ОКIОК. The outcomes of his researches are completely opposite to those, made by Saida Kubegenova. First of all, Khyg Fergyson has not discovered facts which may cause anxiety. ОКIОК consortium has informed, that the results of researches made by Saida Kubegenova and Khyg Fergyson were already sent to the Ministry of natural resources and protection of environment RК. The experts of the ministry should closely examine them and make their conclusions. Besides, ОКIОК asked specialists participating in work of the Caspian ecological program, to give their conclusions. The local ecologists consider, that not only OKIOK company alone could be responsible for acidity of some sites of the Caspian Sea. The academician Ayftakh Diarov, conducting ecological researches in the region for many years doesn't exclude the possibility that "Tengizshevroil" JV also could be privy to the acidity of water. As it is known, "Tengizshevroil" systematically ejects to atmosphere a great amount of poison substances, including those that could form sulphurous acid by interacting with water. For the last years there were registered a few dozens of emergency abnormal ejection to atmosphere maid by "Tengizshevroil". Due to the fact, that Tengiz field is situated at the shore of the Caspian sea, the main part of ejection for sure falls in the Caspian sea. Especially if the wind in that moment, when they go to atmosphere, blows toward the sea. Mounting poison substances, straightly fall into the sea.

The oil spill formed after the tanker wreck on Baltic, reaches the shores of Denmark

ITAR-TASS informs that the oil spill formed on Thursday as a result of impingement of oil tanker and dry-cargo ship in the Baltic Sea, reaches Danish islands Falster and Men.

As a result of wreck of tanker impinged against dry-cargo ship, about 2 thousand tons of oil was split out to the Baltic Sea. The oil spill has reached the first small-sized islands belonging to Denmark.

All efforts maid by special vessels to stop movement of an oil spill have not been crowned yet by success. All day in wreck area blows a strong southwest wind, which drives an oil spill to Denmark.