The court annulled the EIA for the decision of District Heating Sofia to build a new installation using RDF fuel

The Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) finally annulled the decision on the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the RDF waste burning plant from "District Heating" - Sofia. This was reported by BNR.

The Supreme Magistrates leave in force the decision of the Administrative Court of Sofia in a case from 2020, initiated by a complaint of the ecological association "For the Earth", the National Association for the Protection of Property Owners, the Association "Independent Public Control", the Association "Coalition for Sustainable Development " and an individual.

According to the judges, the investment proposal was not substantiated and the Regional Inspectorate for the Environment and Water in Sofia decided to approve the environmental impact assessment report without sufficient evidence. The assessment was agreed entirely formally, without clarifying the expected impact of the waste incineration plant on human health and the impact on the environment, said the court's reasons, distributed to the media.

The decision of the Supreme Administrative Court is final.

In practice, this decision creates huge new challenges for "District Heating Sofia", whose plan was to start burning part of the capital's garbage in the new installation after two years. There is currently no clarity on how the project will develop, and the Metropolitan Municipality has not announced its intentions. By law, a new environmental impact assessment procedure must be carried out.