Dutch News reported that Tata Steel has pledged to speed up its clean-up operation at IJmuiden steel plant. Measures to reduce the smell, emissions and noise pollution from the plant will now be apparent from 2023, not 2025 as pledged earlier. The measures are not new, and were announced in 2019 and 2020, but Tata Steel now says it wants to complete the work more quickly. In total, the package of improvements will cost some EUR 300 million.

 

The news comes just a week after a large group of locals living close to the plant launched legal action against the company for deliberately damaging their health. High profile lawyer Benedicte Ficq is representing the local residents and eight of foundations in the case, and says that the factory has been dumping dangerous chemicals into the air and soil of a densely populated area.

 

Earlier this month: engineering union FNV Metaal said Tata should bring forward its long-term plans to cut pollution and boost energy efficiency. Union chief Roel Berghuis said “Our plan shows that you can go green while maintaining employment levels. ‘But our plan is conditional on the government changing its rules for reducing carbon emissions.”

 

Source:Dutch News