Three environmental organisations have filed an appeal with the Council of State against the Flemish Government's plan to build a gas pipeline between Glabbeek (Flemish Brabant) and Halen (Limburg).
The Flemish Government's plans were approved last summer. The three environmental and climate groups – Greenpeace Belgium, Bond Beter Leefmilieu, and Dryade – question the necessity of the pipeline and fear it contradicts climate transition goals.
The project aims to extend the natural gas infrastructure in Limburg in the short term. However, public data shows no need for additional natural gas infrastructure in Flanders, according to Bond Beter Leefmilieu's spokesperson, Angelos Koutsis.
"On the contrary, between 2021 and 2023, natural gas consumption in Belgium dropped by 20%, and many policy initiatives have been created to phase out fossil gas," he stated.
Koutsis also referenced studies predicting a decline in gas demand by 2040. "These developments were not considered when approving this project," he added.
The organisations also question the pipeline's long-term goal of transporting "green gases" such as hydrogen. "Recent scientific studies reveal that the potential of renewable hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuels has been greatly overestimated," said Greenpeace member Mathieu Soete.
The organisations worry that investing in fossil fuels will hinder necessary investments in renewable energy, and believe that the investment "does not align with a fair transition to a climate-neutral society."
