The municipalities of Mertet-Wasserbillig and Grevenmacher intend to appeal the decision to expand the fuel storage facility in Mertert port, citing security concerns.
On 15 October, the Labour and Environment Ministers signed the required authorisations approving the expansion.
Both Grevenmacher council, who owns the site where the oil reservoirs are located, and the neighbouring Mertert-Wasserbillig have long made their disapproval known.
Jérôme Laurent, mayor of Mertert-Wasserbillig, emphasised the scale of the project with a series of figures:
"Seven new large reservoirs are to be built, with an additional storage capacity of 90,000 cubic metres of petroleum products. On top of this, 32 smaller reservoirs for additives will be added. The existing storage capacity of around 61,000 cubic metres would thus increase to over 151,000 cubic metres, which corresponds to an increase of around 147%."
While the two ministerial authorisations include a number of safety and environmental measures, concerns still remain.
Alderman Jos Schummer, who works for the Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps (CGDIS), referred to his own experiences as a firefighter and said that it had long been known that the age of the tanks was problematic.
"These tanks have been there for 50 to 60 years. Even back then, when we were working on it intensively, it was said that in Texas, where there were a lot of similar tanks, if something happened there, it was always a concern for tanks with a lifespan of 30 to 40 years. But here this isn't even questioned. These old tanks have been there since before we were born. It's the same issue as it was then."
Another argument put forward against the expansion was the additional truck traffic it would generate in the area.
At the beginning of the municipal council meeting, a study was presented, stating that an unusually large number of lorries was already passing through the municipality, and with low river levels interrupting the usual shipping lanes in future, this could result in even more traffic on the roads.
The potential for possible attacks, including those with drones, was also brought up at the meeting.
Mayor Laurent said modern technology was not required to access the site. He had raised the issue of site security with every port management team but his concerns were not taken seriously at first, according to the mayor.
Now, however, they are also concerned, he confirmed. He explained that in Mertert the turnstile gate at the checkpoint can be easily climbed over, and after that there are no more checks.
Even the checks at the entrance and when refueling, he said can be easily climbed over and accessed. "The site is not secured in any way", Laurent said.
The mayor also emphasised that filing an appeal does not mean that the project has to be stopped in the meantime.
If the appeal were to be rejected, there would still be the option of going to the administrative court.
The case would definitely be followed up consistently and all legal options would be used, the mayor said.
On Friday, the expansion in Mertert will also be a topic of discussion in Grevenmacher's municipal council.
