Faced with increasing waste management requirements, EVN Abfallverwertung NÖ decided to extend capacities at its waste incineration plant at Zwentendorf/Dürnrohr by adding a third line to the plant’s two incineration lines.

It goes without saying that EVN Abfallverwertung NÖ needs to successfully pass an environmental impact assessment procedure in order to be able to actually build the extension.

To this end, an environmental impact statement was prepared and filed with the competent government authority on 31 May 2006, to be assessed by the licensing authority at the Government of Lower Austria which issued an expert opinion on it. Both the statement and the expert opinion were brought to the notice of the public, which is now followed by the last stage of the environmental impact assessment procedure.

The public hearing will take place at the Donauhof/Zwentendorf from 9 am on 8 March 2007. Open to all comers, it constitutes a key milestone in the environmental impact assessment procedure. All citizens of Zwentendorf and the surrounding communities are entitled to have a say at this public hearing, i.e. they are a party to the legal proceedings.

The hearing is convened and organised by the competent government authority. It consists of five phases: First, the chairman, delegated by the government authority, takes the floor, welcomes participants and presents the project. Next, EVN Abfallverwertung NÖ gives a short overview of the project. This is followed by government experts who discuss aspects of the environmental impact assessment within their respective field of competence and analyse the environmental impact of the plant extension. Following them, citizens are given an opportunity to comment. The hearing is concluded by a record being made of the hearing.