The €40 million project to build an LNG terminal in the port of Bratislava to refuel cargo ships while reducing greenhouse emissions and pollutants for river transport has been approved by the Environment Ministry, but activists have vowed to appeal and stop the project.
The LNG terminal will be built by the state-owned company Verejné přístavy (Public Ports) and may be ready in 2026 at the earliest.
“The newly built LNG terminal in the public port of Bratislava will serve to cover the increasing demand for LNG while also serving as an important element for ensuring the security of LNG fuel supply, as the current LNG sources are located at a great distance from Bratislava,” the Environment Ministry said in a statement released within the Environmental Impact Assessment process.
Greenpeace has been fiercely advocating against the project since its announcement in 2021.
“We fundamentally reject the project to build an LNG terminal in the port of Bratislava, and we will do everything in our power to stop this nonsensical idea,” Greenpeace, which calls for the end of “all investment and the building of new fossil fuel infrastructure”, said in the statement.
According to the organisation, the project goes directly against the targets in the Paris Climate Agreement, to which Slovakia has also committed.
Instead of using natural gas as a transitional energy source in decarbonising maritime transport, Greenpeace calls for a quick switch to hydrogen, synthetic fuels or battery-powered ships – fuels experts believe are not yet ready to be commercially used in the sector.
In an unusual move, the Environment Ministry also attempted to calm the concerns of the activists.,
“The anticipated negative impacts of the proposed activity on the environment, which were identified during the environmental impact assessment process, can be removed or eliminated by implementing measures and conditions, according to the law,” it said in the statement.
(Michal Hudec | EURACTIV.sk)
Source: euractiv.com
