Minister Brouns granted BASF a permit of indefinite duration. Bond Beter Leefmilieu and Dryade believe this is unwise: the facility in question has a massive impact on the climate and the environment, and the plans to improve it remain fundamentally unclear at this stage. A permit of indefinite duration is therefore not justified.
Uncertainty of indefinite duration
BASF has been granted a renewal of its permit for its steam cracker. This plant is the hub of the entire site: it processes more than 3 million tonnes of petroleum products per year, emitting 1.5 million tonnes of CO₂ in the process. As such, this plant accounts for around 7.5% of total CO₂ emissions from Flemish industry. If we look at the company’s entire site, that share doubles.
BASF was granted an indefinite permit by Minister Brouns. However, the permit does not set out a clear long-term plan. The company does indeed plan to make some improvements regarding nitrogen by 2030. However, beyond this date, there is a lack of concrete prospects. The company itself states that it will only be able to decide on further investments by 2030. This lack of commitment is incompatible with a permit of indefinite duration – certainly not given the scale and importance of the facility.
Two-step procedure
For installations and sites with such a far-reaching impact, a credible and sufficiently ambitious roadmap must be put forward. BASF is unable to offer a satisfactory long-term outlook in the short term. Bond Beter Leefmilieu and Dryade are therefore calling for a two-step procedure.
First, a fixed-term permit, during which BASF will carry out the planned nitrogen reduction measures and draw up a plan to put the site and the cracker on the path to climate neutrality.
After 2030, the company may be granted a long-term permit, provided it clarifies its future plans. These must further reduce nitrogen emissions, cut back on the use of fossil fuels, and be in line with climate neutrality.