The construction of a EUR 40 million LNG terminal in the port of Bratislava has been approved by the Slovakian Ministry of the Environment. However, activists have already announced that they will object to the permit and stop the project.
The LNG terminal will be built by the state-owned company Verejné přístavy (Public Ports) and could be completed in 2026 at the earliest. It is primarily intended for refueling cargo ships in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in shipping.
“The newly built LNG terminal in the Bratislava public port will serve to meet the increasing demand for LNG and at the same time will be an important element in ensuring the security of LNG fuel supply, since the current LNG sources are located at a great distance from Bratislava lie,” said the Ministry of the Environment in a statement released as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment.
Greenpeace has campaigned vehemently against the project since its announcement in 2021.
“We fundamentally oppose the project to build an LNG terminal in the port of Bratislava and will do everything in our power to stop this nonsensical idea,” the Greenpeace statement said, calling for the end of “all investments and the… construction of new infrastructure for fossil fuels”.
According to the organization, the project is in direct contradiction to the goals of the Paris climate agreement, to which Slovakia is also committed.
Instead of using natural gas as a transitional energy to decarbonize maritime transport, Greenpeace is calling for a rapid switch to hydrogen, synthetic fuels or battery-powered ships — fuels experts say are not yet ready for commercial use in the sector.
In an unusual move, the Environment Ministry also sought to allay activists’ concerns
“The expected negative impacts of the proposed activity on the environment, identified during the environmental impact assessment process, can be eliminated through the implementation of measures and conditions in accordance with the law,” the statement said.
Source: Euractiv
