LMP demands environmental impact study for National Battery Strategy

A government decree adopted in 2005 requires the drafting of an environmental impact study for any national programme or a strategy, she told a press conference. No such assessment has been made in connection with the water and energy needs of planned battery plants, the size of the plot they would occupy and the labour needs, Schmuck added.

“Such a study is not the same as an environmental permit, it is supposed to show to what degree a planned project would harm the environment and whether all the resources indicated should really be used,” the LMP lawmaker said.

She noted that the party had initiated a national referendum asking people’s opinion about the planned battery plants and expressed hope that the National Election Committee would clear it.

Schmuck said there is “deep silence” also about the future of used batteries, noting that their handling if exported abroad is still the responsibility of the Hungarian producer.