Regional Spanish government authorised illegal emissions, court rules

The Supreme Court of Asturias, in north west Spain, has ruled the regional government allowed a power plant to operate on an illegal permit, after a legal challenge from ClientEarth’s Spanish partners, IIDMA.

The judgment forces the Government of Asturias to modify the permit given to the coal-fired power station Soto de Ribera giving it tougher emission limits for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen onoxides and dust.

The Asturias government had approved a permit for the plant which allowed it to emit more of these pollutants than was allowed under the Directive.

The judgment upholds the rules laid out by the EU Industrial Emissions Directive (IED), which sets limits on the levels of harmful pollutants that industrial installations like power stations can pump out.

ClientEarth lawyer Sam Bright said: “This is an important decision, which will start alarm bells ringing with other regional governments in Spain that failed to update coal plant permits to reflect the new emissions limits.

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