Slovenia: Lafarge to appeal Environment Agency decision

LafargeCement plans to appeal the decision by Slovenia's Environment Agency which rejected its request for an integrated pollution prevention and control permit for its plant close to Trbovlje. 

The company said Tuesday its request was rejected on a formality and that it had had supplemented its filing with all requisite documents, including the project documentation and an environmental impact report.

The statement comes a week after the Environment Agency rejected the application, arguing that Lafarge had submitted an incomplete application.

The agency's decision says Lafarge submitted the environmental impact report without a signature and date, while the project documentation was not stamped or signed by the authorised person.

The company asked for a 15-day extension of the deadline to supplement the request in April, but the agency assessed the grounds for extension were insufficient.

Lafarge Cement was widely believed to be shutting down cement production in Trbovlje on orders of environmental inspectors, before it again filed for an environmental permit at the end of April.

The Administrative Court revoked the plant's IPPC permit in August last year.

Lafarge continued operations until March, citing provisions in the environmental protection act which state that it is allowed to continue operating until a final decision on its request is made.