EIA required retrospectively

Why the court ruling is shaking up the biogas industry

(Bild: KBVÖ)

A decision by the Federal Administrative Court could point the way forward: For a plant near Mistelbach, an EIA procedure was imposed retrospectively by decision, although the location and project had already been fixed. The "Krone" has investigated what is behind the surprising ruling, the details and how it came about.

The construction of a planned biogas plant usually causes a lot of controversy. People understand why it makes sense, but in the end the "Floriani principle" prevails. This is what happened in Mistelbach: a project applicant only changed the planned location twice after intense protests from local residents.