GIB EnergyX: Battery Plant in Surany Won't Endanger Health of Population

Bratislava, April 29 (TASR) - The battery plant in Surany (Nitra region) will have the latest filtration equipment. It's unthinkable that any plant in our territory would spew substances that haven't undergone the approval procedure by the relevant authorities, GIB Energy X, the investor in the battery plant has told TASR. At the same time, it denied the claim that there would be any contamination of soil or water. "The often-mentioned NMP substance will be captured with an efficiency of over 99.99 percent and regenerated for reuse in production," clarified the investor. "The calculated concentrations will be strictly at the lower boundary of the strictest limits, ensuring that emissions will not have a negative impact on the health of the population or the environment," stated the company representatives. According to them, the technological water will be repeatedly recycled and will undergo cleaning and monitoring in line with strict legislative regulations before being released into the Nitra River. Reacting to the concerns about chemical waste, the company said that all material would be carried away under strict safety measures and disposed of by specialised companies with hazardous waste disposal licenses. The company noted that its procedure is fully in line with the principles of the EIA Directive of the European Union. It also stated that the environmental impact assessment is being carried out based on the valid Slovak and EU regulations and directives. Finally, GIB EnergyX executive director Pavol Krokos pointed to the public's growing interest in working in the plant. "We've registered some 800 job applications, so the interest is positive, although we haven't even launched a recruitment campaign yet," stated Krokos. In addition to others, Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) had objections against the documentation submitted to the EIA procedure. "I must say that to my surprise, the document is quite weak. It lacks dispersion studies, impacts on groundwater, etc. Therefore, we expect the investor to duly complete all this," said Taraba last week. ko/mcs