Italian olive grove stands in way of European energy 安全
By Giancarlo Navach and Stephen Jewkes
MELENDUGNO, Italy, Oct 4 (Reuters) - In the 指名する of European energy 安全, a 私的な guard wearing a 海軍 blue uniform, aviator sunglasses and a baseball cap walks around a grove of olive trees in southern Italy.
The 231 trees, surrounded by 乾燥した，日照りの-石／投石する 塀で囲むs on a dusty plain 近づく the Adriatic coast, stand in the way of a $45 billion pipeline designed to bring gas from central Asia and help 離乳する the European Union off its dependence on ロシアの energy.
地元の 当局 want the pipeline re-大勝するd away from the prized grove, which 含むs trees thought to be more than 400 years old, but developers have Rome's 是認 to proceed, on 条件 they are 移植（する）d while 麻薬を吸うs are laid and buried.
用心深い of 抗議するs, the pipeline 国際借款団／連合, which 含むs Britain's BP, Azeri 明言する／公表する energy company SOCAR and Italian gas company Snam, has 雇うd 24-hour 安全.
In reality, work on the Italian 味方する of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) cannot proceed without 地元の 同意, 脅すing to 延期する a 事業／計画（する） that is meant within four years to carry the 同等（の） of 10 パーセント of Europe's ロシアの energy 輸入するs.
The olive grove, whose oldest trees are recognised as part of the world 遺産 by UNESCO, 代表するs more than a weak link in European energy 安全.
It also 最高潮の場面s an 問題／発行する at the heart of Ital y's biggest 憲法の 改革（する） 審議 in a １０年間: the 力／強力にする of 地元の 当局 to 妨害する Rome. 総理大臣 Matteo Renzi 提案するs to dilute that 力／強力にする in a Dec. 4 国民投票.
"非，不，無 of the 地域s are happy with this 改革（する） because they 恐れる they will be 女性 in the 直面する of the central 政府 and will have to 苦しむ things they don't understand, like TAP," said Michele Emiliano, the 地域の 知事 of Puglia, Italy's biggest olive oil 生産者 and a popular tourist 位置／汚点／見つけ出す.
Italy's 経済的な 開発 大臣 has 以前 （刑事）被告 Puglia's 政府 of using the grove 近づく the town of Melendugno, and thousands of other trees その上の along the path of the pipeline, as an excuse to 封鎖する the 事業／計画（する）.
"If it passes the 国民投票 will 確実にする a more sensible 分割 of 力／強力にするs, 特に in the energy 部門," the 大臣, Carlo Calenda, told Reuters in an email.
The TAP 国際借款団／連合, which also 含むs Belgium's Fluxys
"Even if the go-ahead is 延期するd it would only mean a 狭くするing of the time でっちあげる，人を罪に陥れる for moving the trees, not a stop to the 事業／計画（する）," said TAP's country 経営者／支配人 for Italy, Michele Mario Elia.
FEW SIGNS OF LIFE
There were few 調印するs of life when Reuters visited the olive grove outside Melendugno just over a week ago. Apart from the 安全 patrols, there were some 盗品故買者d-off areas where archaeologists are 要求するd to make 予選 穴掘りs, to check for any buried antiquities before the pipeline work can begin.
"There is a 危険 that some olive trees won't 生き残る," said Melendugno 市長 Marco Poti, explaining that 移植（する）ing them could expose them to xylella, a bacteria that has wiped out tens of thousands of trees in 最近の years.
In 認可するing the 事業／計画（する） last year, Rome 課すd dozens of 条件s, 含むing one 要求するing a total of about 10,000 olive trees to be carefully 除去するd to 許す a ざん壕 to be dug for the pipeline. Later, they are to be returned and replanted.
Puglia is 脅すing to go to the 憲法の 法廷，裁判所 if the 事業／計画（する） goes ahead without its 同意, arguing Rome never 適切に 協議するd the 地域. Puglia points to a 最近の 法廷，裁判所 判決，裁定 規定するing that the central 政府 should 協議する the 地域s before 認可するing international pipeline 事業／計画（する）s.
Rome says it fully 協議するd Puglia before giving TAP the go-ahead.
Olive trees can 動かす 深い passions in Puglia where they 一面に覆う／毛布 the countryside and form part of the 地域's 身元. 計画（する）s to destroy some 感染させるd trees last year had to be scrapped when 抗議する人s climbed them and took to the streets.
"I 推定する the same thing will happen this time 一連の会議、交渉／完成する," 市長 Poti said.
地元の 規則s say the developers have from Nov. 1 to April 30 to move the trees in their slow-growth period but 十分な 通関手続き／一掃 to do so has still not been 認めるd.
If that window shuts, they cannot begin until November 2017.
The 878-km (546 miles) TAP 事業／計画（する） will run from the Turkish-Greek 国境 and carry gas across Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea to the small Italian beach of San Foca.
It is the last 行う／開催する／段階 of the いわゆる Southern Gas 回廊（地帯） that is meant to pump 10 billio n 立方（体）の metres (bcm) of gas each year, expandable to 20 bcm, from Azerbaijan's 巨大（な） Shah Deniz II field into European markets.
For Brussels, it is a way of diversifying away from Russia, the EU's 最高の，を越す energy 供給者. Italy 輸入するs about 90 パーセント of its energy and hopes the TAP pipeline will enable it to become a gas 中心 for southern Europe. Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, a spokeswoman for the European （売買）手数料，委託（する）／委員会／権限, 拒絶する／低下するd comment on the 論争.
BUILDING SANDCASTLES
In Melendugno's sleepy town square, 見解（をとる）s are 分裂（する）. Some believe the 投資 will breathe new life into the area and others 恐れる it will 脅す the 地域's 観光旅行，事業.
"The town is divided but the 大多数 doesn't want the pipeline," said 72-year-old pensioner Pantaleo, standing beneath a tree in the square, chatting to friends.
Another 地元の 関心 is that the pipeline will make landfall at the popular Puglia beach of San Foca, on the Salento coast, famous for its sparkling blue waters. TAP 計画（する）s to bury the 麻薬を吸う about 10 metres below the beach.
"Would you bring your little girl to build sandcastles over a pipeline with a 圧力 of 145 妨げる／法廷，弁護士業s?" 市長 Poti says.
But the developers say gas pipelines have been built beneath eight other 最高の，を越す Italian beaches without any 衝撃 on 観光旅行，事業.
"Spain's Enagas has also recently built a gas pipeline under the famous Cala Gracio beach at Ibiza and there's been no 衝撃 on 観光旅行，事業 at all," said TAP's Elia.
As part of the 事業／計画（する）, an 地下組織の 固める／コンクリート tunnel will 延長する 700 metres inland and 800 metres out to sea where general 請負業者 Saipem will join it to the undersea pipeline laid out under the Adriatic. Saipem has agreed to pull the 麻薬を吸う through the tunnel in winter when few tourists are around.
On the other 味方する, gas grid company Snam will build a 55 km pipeline to link TAP to the 国家の grid.
Puglia's 知事, Emiliano, wants the pipeline to land その上の north at the city of Brindisi where he says it could connect 直接／まっすぐに to Snam's 存在するing gas 網状組織.
"Neither the 政府 nor TAP has explained to us why it has to arrive so far south," he says.
But TAP (n)役員／(a)執行力のある Elia says 熟考する／考慮するs showed the Brindisi 選択 to be unfeasible. The central 政府 主張するs 地元の 当局 were 伴う／関わるd throughout the 許す 過程.
TAP developers 安全な・保証するd 政府 通関手続き／一掃 for the pipeline on May 20 last year. But Renzi's 政府 大（公）使館員d 66 需要・要求するs - some of which can only be 実行するd with the 協調 of 地元の 当局.
The clock is ticking.
As an incentive to 速度(を上げる） up work, Brussels 申し込む／申し出d to 免除された the TAP developers from an anti-信用 支配する if they started work by May 16 this year at the 最新の and finish within four years. The 支配する would 要求する TAP to 許す 競争相手s to use the pipeline.
TAP - which has 非常線，警戒線d off the Melendugno 場所／位置, swept for unexploded war 爆弾s and checked for archaeological 遺物s - says it 公式に started work on May 16.
Rome had also 始める，決める May 16 as a 最終期限 for the start of 事業／計画（する） work. But 地域の 知事 Emiliano says construction work has not begun and has asked the central 政府 to 再開する the 是認s 過程 from the beginning.
"We believe they have to start everything all over again," he said.
(Editing by 示す Bendeich and Janet McBride)
