Court Ruling Could Grind Chinese Electric Battery Plant Construction to a Halt

Hungary Today 2023.11.30.

On Wednesday morning, the Curia annulled one of the basic permits for the CATL battery plant in Debrecen (eastern Hungary), reports Világgazdaság. The initiative was launched by the opposition in order to make the Hungarian government look impossible in the eyes of foreign investors.

Laywer András Schiffer represented pro bono a citizen of Debrecen who had applied to the court for a review. He reported that the Supreme Court upheld the request and overturned the previous judgment of the Debrecen Court.

They annulled the authorization granted by the county disaster recovery authority for the CATL investment in Debrecen,

he announced. He also wrote in a social media post that the Curia ordered the authority to start a new procedure, as it had violated the rules on publicity, posting, and public hearings with regard to the supplementation of the safety report.

Commenting on the developments, András Schiffer told Debreciner.hu that in his view the construction of the battery factory should now be stopped, as it does not have a disaster recovery permit as of 11 a.m. on Wednesday. He also indicated that the written justification of the Curia will only be received in a few weeks, but he is confident that it will be delivered before the winter recess.

László Nándor Horváth, the citizen that initiated the case, was somewhat more reserved in his assessment. He says the ruling does not mean that the battery factory will not come to Debrecen, but it has bought time.

The Chinese battery factory in Debrecen is facing a series of legal actions. This time, the decision was unfavorable to them, but Világgazdaság recently reported that they had already been granted a favorable ruling in another case.

In mid-November, the Debrecen Court of First Instance terminated the proceedings initiated by the Budapest-based civil ecopolitical organization, Védegylet Association, to review the legality of the single environmental use permit issued by the Hajdú-Bihar County Government Office for lack of standing.

Fact

Concerns have been raised about the CATL’s battery factory for a while now. However, although the strong opposition from Debrecen residents, in February this year the project was granted an environmental permit under very strict conditions. In August, the company applied for a modification of the environmental permit issued by the government on February 13, as they plan to reduce the size of the factory area included in the original permit, thereby reducing the pollution footprint of the battery production. Despite this decision, the protests continued. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Greenpeace, two global green organizations, have previously publicly backed the project, saying countries can benefit from the investments as long as they do not harm the environment. Europe’s green transition is unthinkable without batteries and battery factories. Battery storage is also the most commonly used technology on unelectrified railway lines.

Changes on the Horizon for the Largest Battery Company's Investment

The size of the CATL battery factory in Debrecen may change, and locals will be affected.Continue reading

Via Világgazdaság, Featured image via Twitter/SFC Talk