cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/11119204
Hungary will raise the maximum fine for pollution by large manufacturers, including of batteries, to 5 billion forints ($16 million), Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Thursday, in a shift from his predecessor’s drive to attract EV battery plants.
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Magyar said a new environmental authority, which the government flagged earlier this summer, will strictly monitor battery manufacturing, recycling and decommissioning.
“We will not compromise on the health and safety of the Hungarian people for the sake of any single investment or any single investor,” he said.
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“If a large company violates environmental regulations for a third time within five years, there will be a minimum fine that is at least half a percent of the company’s annual net revenue,” he said.
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The prime minister cited the example of Samsung SDI’s 006400.KS battery plant in the northern town of Göd, which had been fined several times between 2022 and 2023 for exceeding emissions standards.
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This week, the occupational safety authority in the city of Debrecen ordered Chinese battery maker CATL to halt its production after it had found that workers were found with Nickel overxposure. According to the inspectors, workers were not adequately protected by personal protective equipment, which is deemed essential for working in those workshops.
CATL must now submit verified occupational safety documentation to the local inspectorate before requesting a reinspection.
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Back in June, Semcorp, another Chinese battery maker, saw its Hungary plant also suspended after tests conducted by authorities revealed aluminium levels in groundwater exceeding legal limits by more than 13,000 times.
Semcorp had previously maintained that a leaking, pungent, unidentified substance was merely condensation water and posed no environmental risk.
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In June, Hungary’s Ministry of the Environment penalized Chinese carmaker BYD’s Auto Hungary with a 10 million forint ($27,000) fine in May. Environment Minister László Gajdos said the automaker breached obligations under its environmental permit during ground preparation.
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