Matosinhos refinery land contaminated? It was "expected"

Galp said on February 2 that it was "expected" that the land where the refinery operated in Matosinhos will have to be "remediated" after the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) revealed that the soil and groundwater are contaminated

"Although Galp is unaware of the APA opinion to which reference is made, a refinery was in operation there [Matosinhos] for 50 years, so it is expected that the land must be subject to remediation," the company said after being questioned by Lusa on the subject.

APA revealed today that the plot of land of the former Galp refinery in Matosinhos that the company intends to cede to the city council for the Innovation City has contaminated soil and groundwater.

"Following this assessment of soil and groundwater it was concluded that there is contamination of soil and groundwater in the plot in question," said the APA, in response to questions by Lusa, according to which Galp has already been informed of this opinion.

Galp stressed that it is working on a plan to dismantle, decommission and decontaminate the land that must obtain the opinion of environmental licensing authorities, a process that will also involve the Northern Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-Norte) and the Matosinhos City Hall.

This decontamination, he added, will be done in phases over several years, in accordance with the decommissioning plan that must be approved by the APA.

Asked whether these conclusions of the APA make the construction of Innovation City unfeasible, Galp assured that "the need for decontamination does not make the execution of the project unfeasible, quite the contrary, it is an essential step for the regeneration of that territory.

The APA said that the risk analysis conducted by Petrogal for the land between the refinery, closed in 2021, and the street António da Silva Cruz, in Leça da Palmeira, determined the existence of "unacceptable risk to future users of the plot (considering a possible residential or industrial use of it), a situation to be overcome with appropriate risk management measures," he said.

And "acceptable risk for construction workers who may be involved in possible interventions in the plot in question and current recipients of the surroundings.

Contacted by Lusa, the Municipality of Matosinhos, in the district of Porto, assumed to be unaware of this assessment, stressing that at this stage the discussion is between the APA and Galp.

"The Municipality of Matosinhos will only accept the land, applying in this parcel the investment available from the Fund for a Just Transition, after the guarantee that the risks are properly safeguarded," he assured.

In April 2022, the mayor pointed out at a town hall meeting that of the approximately 260 hectares that the refinery occupied, Galp gave 40 to the local authority to develop public utility projects and apply the funds from the Fund for a Just Transition.

At the time, Luísa Salgueiro pointed out that the area given by Galp is located in the North top and that, at first, it wouldn't need to be decontaminated because it didn't have any equipment or activity.

On this plot, the local authority intends to build an innovation city linked to the "energies of the future", under a cooperation protocol between Galp and the North Regional Coordination and Development Commission.

The city of innovation aims to enhance "an urban, social and environmentally sustainable ecosystem, including trade and services, hotels, restaurants, Industry 5.0, housing, cultural and leisure facilities, especially a 'Green Park'".