The province of Brabant withdraws the request to suspend the permit for Ineos’ Project One in Antwerp. In recent weeks there have been intensive discussions with the Flemish government. According to the Provincial Executive, these discussions were positive and there is therefore sufficient confidence that a solution will be found, so that the new ethane cracker does not provide extra nitrogen in the Brabantse Wal nature reserve.
Brabant is still contesting the permit, but previously also submitted a request to suspend the permit. The province did this because there was a real risk that the installations will be ready before the Flemish court rules on the appeal. This could leave the province with a fait accompli. A suspension request may mean that construction must be stopped immediately.
Job suspension, appeal pending
The province is now withdrawing that suspension request. The discussions that have been held with Flanders in recent weeks make the province hopeful that sufficient measures will be taken to combat nitrogen deposition on the Brabantse Wal.
The current appeal against Ineos’ permit will therefore continue. The province filed that appeal last September against the third permit that Ineos received from Flanders. The agreement now is that Flanders must demonstrate in the near future that total nitrogen emissions in the Brabantse Wal Natura 2000 area are decreasing. Also with the arrival of the new Ineos ethane cracker in the port of Antwerp. Agreements must also be made about compensation.
Production of plastic
With the ethane cracker, Ineos wants to convert ethane into ethylene, a basic raw material for the production of plastic. This can be used for the production of insulation material and car parts, for example.
Deputy Saskia Boelema of the province of North Brabant: “We strongly appeal to our neighbors for constructive mutual cooperation in the border region. This is desperately needed for Brabant’s nature. We fully understand the economic interests surrounding Project One, but we also assume that Flanders will join us in prioritizing the social and ecological interests of both provinces.”
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Brabant (and Zeeland) are not against the project, but the protection of Natura 2000 areas is paramount. The provincial authorities want to be sure that the arrival of the ethane cracker does not cause a deterioration of the Natura 2000 areas. Measures must therefore be taken to significantly reduce the calculated nitrogen deposition.
Specific agreements
The province of Brabant and Flanders want to continue to help each other in the future to jointly tackle the cross-border nitrogen problem. Brabant, Zeeland and Flanders are now starting discussions to reach concrete agreements in the near future. These must be present at the Flemish-Dutch Summit on April 1, 2025.