Residents of La Selva del Camp have until 21 August to submit objections to the town council’s review of the environmental licence for the proposed Valogreene Econova plastic-waste pyrolysis plant. The No a Valogreene group is circulating objection templates and urging people to register as interested parties in the case.

Objections can be submitted through the Ajuntament de la Selva del Camp electronic portal. The review could determine whether the existing environmental licence is void, although the group says a new application could then be made.

Licence suspended over missing environmental assessment

The Ajuntament, the town council, suspended the licence as a precaution and began its own review after the Generalitat’s OGAU, its Integrated Environmental Management Office, and the Baix Camp County Council raised concerns over the permit process.

According to the county council’s environmental technical body, the project file did not include the simplified environmental impact assessment required for the installation. The requirement is set out in Royal Decree 445/2023, which amended Spain’s Law 21/2013 on environmental assessment and requires waste-recovery facilities listed in Annex II to obtain the assessment before receiving an activity licence.

“With maximum transparency and rigour.”Enric Roberto, Mayor of La Selva del Camp, on the council’s stated approach to the review

Once the objection period closes, the council is due to prepare a proposed decision and send it to the Comissió Jurídica Assessora de la Generalitat, the Generalitat’s legal advisory commission. The commission will issue an opinion on whether the licence should be declared void.

Residents’ group and GEPEC-EdC to take part

No a Valogreene says it will provide information points and collect signatures to help residents submit their objections. The group also delivered more than 220 participatory-budget forms in Plaça Major on 11 August, asking the council to fund legal action against the project.

GEPEC-EdC, the Catalan Study and Protection Group for Ecosystems, has said it will formally join the review procedure and submit objections to the environmental licence.

  • Deadline: 21 August.
  • Procedure: the environmental licence review opened by the Ajuntament de la Selva del Camp.
  • How to act: submit an objection through the town council’s electronic portal.

Primary sources: dtes.gencat.cat. Reported by Diari de Tarragona, publico_es, Exa, diaridetarragona.com, Por ECOticias.com El periódico verde, Greene, seu-e.cat, eib.org, David Navarro, reusdigital.cat.