current affairs
Fuel depots
RUNNING ON eMpTy Luxembourg’s oil storage facilities must close by the end of the decade, but greens are opposed to the government’s plan to build replacement sites. Will the Grand Duchy run out of gas? Text: Aaron Grunwald — Photos: Olivier Minaire
The operating permits for most of the Grand Duchy’s wholesale storage tanks stocking petrol, diesel and home heating fuel will expire between 2012 and 2019, and due to European regulations there is no chance the licenses will be renewed. The government’s replacement proposal--to build two new sites in Bascharage and Luxembourg-Merl, and expand the existing site in Mertert-has met with stiff opposition from environmental groups who say the plan does not do enough to address climate change. European rules revised in 2005 require a safety zone between industrial sites handling dangerous materials, and areas with housing, commercial facilities and transportation infrastructure, explains Etienne Schneider, director general for
DATE LINE April - May 2011
economic development, new technologies and energy, at the ministry of economy and foreign trade. Housing and commercial sites have simply been built too close to today’s fuel depots in Bertrange, Cessange, Leudelange and Findel. Schneider says the government took two years to study alternative sites, before finding locations that were large enough to accommodate tanks, safety zones and logistics facilities. In order to avoid traffic congestion, the sites also had to be relatively near the majority of petrol consumers (meaning the south and centre of Luxembourg), and be accessible via the existing links used to transport petrol (a rail line from Belgium and the Moselle River from Germany).
CRIME RATE DROPS APR Police announced the 2010 crime rate dropped by 5.7% from 2009. Minors committed 12.5% of all reported crime, up from 11.2%. Crimes against persons rose by 4.3% to 6,132 offences. Police say Luxembourg remains safe.
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However, Luxembourg greens say the actual site selection process has been too opaque. OpAQUe decISION? “The government says, ‘we have found two areas, believe us, those are the best,’” says Blanche Weber, president of the environmental association Mouvement Ecologique. “We want to have facts why those two areas have been chosen, why others were not.” While acknowledging the need for a safety zone creates a unique challenge, “are there other areas corresponding to the criteria, other than the two chosen by the government?” she asks. “There is by far not enough transparency into why these areas have been chosen.” In addition, Weber questions the need for building such a large quantity of
ELECTRICITY FLAT Enovos Luxembourg APR CEO Jean Lucius said electricity prices should remain stable this year, with probable increases in 2012. He added that Enovos has acknowledged the demand for green energies with, for example, investments in North Sea wind farms.
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AID INCREASES The OECD announced APR 2010 development assistance was the highest ever at US$129 billion. Luxembourg gave US$399 million, 1.09% of its GNI. One of five countries to meet the United Nations’ 0.7% target, it ranked second after Norway and ahead of Sweden.
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05.05.2011 16:44:10 Uhr