The province of Brabant appeals to the Flemish government against the permit granted to the company Ineos. It will build a new ethane cracker, a kind of plastic factory, in the port of Antwerp. According to the province, the new factory will cause enormous nitrogen deposition on the already overloaded Natura 2000 area of the Brabantse Wal.
The British company Ineos received an initial permit for the construction of the new factory in 2023. The provinces of Brabant and Limburg successfully objected to this. Construction of the factory was halted when the Council for Permit Disputes annulled the permit in July.
In order to be allowed to build the ethane cracker in Antwerp, the company must demonstrate that nitrogen emissions from the factory do not pose a risk to nearby nature reserves. It had not done enough when it initially applied for a permit, the judge ruled.
New permit, climate neutral
A new permit was applied for in October last year and approved last January. The permit was granted on the condition that the factory must be climate neutral within 10 years.
VRT News previously reported that both Ineos and Flemish politicians thought a new permit was very important. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Flemish Prime Minister Jan Jambon and Antwerp Mayor Bart De Wever interrupted their holidays for it in July. They personally assured Ineos CEO Jim Ratcliffe during a meeting that they would do everything they could to enable the construction of the new ethane cracker. According to politicians, it is an important investment for the Belgian economy.
Nitrogen across the border
The province of Brabant does not leave it at that and is now appealing against the new permit. According to the province, the new permit also results in too much nitrogen deposition for the Brabantse Wal. According to a spokesperson, it cannot be the case that hardly anything is possible in Brabant due to the strict nitrogen regulations, but that large quantities of nitrogen can then come from across the border.
Since March of last year, no more nature permits have been issued in Brabant for projects that lead to extra nitrogen deposition on vulnerable nature. This is a consequence of the Nature Objective Analyses. These are studies that aim to map the status of Natura 2000 areas. These studies showed that all nature reserves in Brabant are in very poor condition.
Brabant locked down
Not issuing nature permits has major consequences for Brabant. For example, farmers cannot expand, construction projects are at a standstill and hardly any adjustments can be made to the infrastructure. That is why Brabant wants to do everything it can to minimize the nitrogen coming from the border region.
In addition to appealing against the permit for Ineos in the port of Antwerp, Brabant has also appealed against the permit for a flat glass factory in Lommel just across the border at Luijksgestel. This is to prevent additional nitrogen deposition in the Natura2000 areas of Leenderbos, Groote Heide & De Plateaux.