Abstract:
The Hungarian Hajdu-Bihor State Government Office recently imposed a fine of 10 million forints (approximately 217,000 yuan) on the battery factory of CATL in Debrecen because the regulatory authorities discovered multiple waste management violations at the factory during a surprise inspection. The enterprise involved may lodge an appeal within 15 days after receiving the penalty decision.
According to Hungarian media reports, the local environmental protection department discovered during an inspection that the waste in a building in the factory was not marked with a category or nature, and some waste packaging and collection containers only had foreign language labels. Because the containers lack compliance labels, regulators cannot confirm whether the hazardous waste they may contain is being stored in adequately protected containers.
In addition, multiple waste collection points in the factory area are not clearly marked, making it difficult for inspectors to confirm the specific locations of the collection points. Regulatory authorities also pointed out that the company failed to arrange dedicated personnel for waste collection points as required, and failed to keep proper waste collection operation records.
The penalty document shows that the "P41 emission source" that has been put into operation since May 5 has not been included in the corresponding operation log, and the log should record the latest operation conditions of the factory's waste collection point. The regulator considered that this situation constituted a breach of relevant environmental management obligations.
On July 9, the environmental protection department once again inspected the Debrecen factory of CATL. The inspection results showed that the company had subsequently completed rectifications, the waste storage situation complied with relevant regulations, and the operation log had been submitted.
This is not the first time that CATL’s Debrecen factory has attracted attention recently. In June, diethyl carbonate leaked from a storage tank in the factory during extraction operations, and about 1 liter of the compound entered the environment. Ningde Times stated at the time that company experts completed the disposal within 5 minutes and the accident did not cause any casualties.
Earlier, the plant had been investigated for discharging green liquid into the sewer. The company said the liquid was not hazardous.
Zolt Tarconi, a regional councilor of the local opposition Tisza Party, said that according to regulations, 30% of the fine, or 3 million forints, will go to the Debrecen municipal government. He called on the city to use the funds for nature conservation projects, such as restoring the degraded "Great Forest" natural area. The city of Debrecen has previously provided land for the CATL factory project.
In response to media inquiries, CATL stated that no environmental pollution was found during this inspection. The company said that after the inspection, measures were taken to ensure that relevant requirements were fully met, employees responsible for waste management have received additional training, and company experts continue to conduct internal on-site inspections to verify the effectiveness of management measures.
CATL stated that the competent authorities found that the factory-related conditions were normal during multiple subsequent inspections. However, the company admitted the penalty and will pay a fine of 10 million forints. The company said it will pay greater attention to complying with all applicable laws, environmental regulations and regulatory requirements in the future and will continue to work closely with the competent authorities.
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