Too late Tata Steel started greening the production process. This is what the director of the steel plant Hans van den Berg says NH News. And according to Van den Berg, criticism of the company has “certainly accelerated”.
Van den Berg knows there is a lot to do and a lot to improve. “Always this clothesline cut, where you can remove a layer of Tata fabric with your finger. Not from this time. You don’t want that anymore? Maybe it was normal in the past, but not anymore,” he tells the regional broadcaster.
Tata Steel is the largest producer and the largest CO2 emitter in the Netherlands. The steel plant has been under fire for years. Last September it turned out Important report on RIVM That people who live near the company are exposed to much more harmful substances than people in the rest of the country.
hydrogen
company announced last year To stop using coal in steel production, thus reducing particulate matter and carbon dioxide emissions. Initially, the company wants to switch to natural gas and eventually to green hydrogen.
By 2030, coal will no longer be needed. The company also wants to reduce dust, bad odor and noise while preserving its profits.
Van den Berg admits that all this together is a lot. But according to the manager, one of these things cannot be deleted. “The inconvenience and our emissions should be resolved in a short time. It is critical that this works.”
regain confidence
According to Van den Berg, it is also difficult to show that the company is on the right track. “We are not under a magnifying glass, but under a microscope. All documents are sent to the government, everything is wobbly, everything is etched, this is reality. And everything is communicated very quickly via social media. And you do not trust, I will be there I want to get rid of it So we need to communicate better.”
According to van den Berg, it is important to restore the trust of many Egmond residents. “We just have to get better physically. According to our measurements, we’re already doing it, but it only starts when the perception of local people changes. Like: they stick to what they said,” he says.
“It would be nice to take another step in this direction in 2022. But I have no illusions that confidence will return completely at the end of this year.”