Parbeszed: Planned battery plant runs afoul of EU Water Framework Directive

Written by BT/MTI

The opposition Parbeszed party is turning to the European Commission over a planned battery plant in Debrecen, in eastern Hungary, saying that its projected water use would run afoul of the European Union’s Water Framework Directive, party co-leader Rebeka Szabo told a press conference on Wednesday.

Peter Szijjarto, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, said on Tuesday that Eve Power of China, the ninth largest manufacturer of electric car batteries, is investing 400 billion forints (EUR 1.1bn) to build its first European plant in Debrecen, Szabo noted.

The plant will use an “inordinate amount of water”, which would be “especially problematic in Debrecen”, she said. The city already sinks several millimeters each year due to the use of groundwater, she added.