Energy company must plant 150,000 trees to compensate for new gas plant

Energy company must plant 150,000 trees to compensate for new gas plant
Credit: Belga

Energy company Eneco will not only have to capture CO2 but also plant 150,000 trees on 100 hectares of land when it builds the gas power plant in the Hainaut village of Manage.

Eneco plans to build a new 870 megawatt gas plant in Manage. Gas plants are essential to enable the planned nuclear phase-out in 2025.

However, it must also construct a CO2 capture installation. According to Eneco, this amounts to the construction of a “factory next to a factory” and is a theoretical concept. The capture installation must provide for the capture of 30% of the emitted CO2.

To compensate for the rest of the CO2, Eneco must plant 150,000 trees on 100 hectares of land, either on Eneco's own land or on land belonging to the Walloon government.

Eneco wants to plant the trees, according to a spokesperson, but wonders where to do so. "We don't have 100 hectares of our own land. Tell us where we should plant,” the spokesperson said.

The Brussels Times


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