02 November 2022
Interim ruling by Council of State delays Porthos project
This morning, the Council of State ruled on Porthos’s use of the statutory construction exemption. This exemption means that nitrogen emissions from project construction do not require a permit. Porthos’s response to the ruling is shown below.
The interim ruling by the Council of State will delay the Porthos project.
Porthos had no option but to use the statutory construction exemption. This route is now closed, but at the same time an opening has been offered by the Council of State in the form of an ecological assessment to determine the effects of nitrogen deposition. Porthos has already conducted this ecological test. This shows that the minor and one-off nitrogen deposition during the construction of Porthos will not have a significant impact on Natura 2000 sites.
NGO Mobilisation for the Environment (MOB) now has 6 weeks to respond to this ecological assessment. Porthos and the relevant ministries can then respond to their response. After that, the Council of State is expected to deliver its final verdict.
This means a delay for the Porthos project. Porthos is reducing CO2 emissions by 2.5 Mtonnes a year and is part of the package of measures to meet national climate targets.
Additional information (in Dutch only)
