2023-08-18 09:11:50
View of petrochemical facilities in the port of Rotterdam (Netherlands), May 15, 2021. PETER DEJONG / AP
The Dutch government is relieved: the green light given, Wednesday August 16, by the Council of State to one of its most disputed environmental projects will not complicate its objective of reducing C02 emissions (– 55% in 2030, compared to 1990). The Supreme Administrative Court has, in fact, definitively approved the Porthos project which aims to bury 37 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in an old gas field in the North Sea, 3 kilometers deep. Emissions from Shell, ExxonMobil, Air Liquide or Air Products factories in the port of Rotterdam.
Managed by the port and the companies Gasunie and Energie Beheer Nederland, the project will consist of collecting the CO2, transporting it to a compressor station at very high pressure before transporting it by pipelines to platforms at sea and, finally , to inject it under the maritime floor. In 2021, Total, Shell and other players have committed to a second project of the same type, called Aramis. Synergies are planned between Aramis, Porthos and Athos, a third initiative.
Since it was unveiled two years ago, Porthos has sparked an outcry from environmental activists. The Mobilization for the Environment (MOB) group has multiplied the appeals by questioning the principle of carbon capture and storage (CCS) which, activists object, have never been considered on such a scale. anywhere in the world and do not offer all the necessary security guarantees. Natura 2000 areas might in particular be endangered.
Construction might start in 2024
According to an assessment mission entrusted by the authorities to the Arcadia engineering firm, the risks would however be “nil or negligible”. Conclusions contested by MOB, but which have been endorsed by the Council of State. The latter ruled out that natural areas might suffer damage “meaningful”. The construction of Porthos can therefore start in 2024 and should be completed in 2026.
The judgment was applauded by the management of the port of Rotterdam, the employers’ organization VNO-NCW and the Arcadia office, which thus escaped criticism as to the fact that it had drafted a report a little too much in line with the government’s intentions. The decision of the high court in any case offers a breath of fresh air to the authorities, regularly criticized for their reaction deemed too timorous in the face of environmental challenges. A rejection of the Porthos project would have complicated the situation a little more while an official agency for the environment estimated that, even taking this into account, the objective set for 2030 will be very difficult to achieve.
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