The ArcelorMittal steel plant in Ghent is facing a fine after exceeding set emission standards this year, the Flemish authorities said on Wednesday, confirming a report in De Standaard newspaper.
"Our inspectors carried out an inspection at ArcelorMittal on 5 June," said Ann Heylens, spokesperson for the regional government. "They took measurements in one of the chimneys and found excess emissions of dioxins and furans."
These substances are potentially carcinogenic, so emissions are limited, but one of the company's chimneys is said to have emitted three times more than the permitted value. "The measurements were taken on the chimney, and no excess was found in the area," Heylens said. "There was probably no threat to public health."
The steel company nevertheless faces a fine of up to €2 million. "This is the maximum amount for an environmental offence," she added. "The fine is based on what has been established, the data in the penalty notice and any defence by ArcelorMittal."
ArcelorMittal was aware of the problem. The steel factory itself is taking measures at its facilities and passing them on to the authorities. "The increase was detected by ArcelorMittal Ghent in May during routine checks," company spokesman Jan Cornelis said. "We reported it immediately."
The company explained that it was injecting a product to capture the dioxins, but that a blockage had been found in the injection nozzles. "We quickly corrected these faults and took additional measures to prevent this from happening again, such as carrying out additional checks," the spokesman explained.
Since these technical adjustments were made, new measurements carried out by approved external laboratories have confirmed that the emissions comply once again with legal standards, ArcelorMittal stressed.
