Team of experts from RIEW Veliko Turnovo and Romanian National Environmental Guard conducted a work visit to the largest aluminium manufacturing industry in Romania ALRO and examined in details the technology for production and the methodology for control of sites that hold complex permits in compliance with European directives.
The informative aspect of the visit and the experience shared in the two industrial facilities in Slatina allowed for the participants to acquaint with the investments made in equipment, technologies and purification systems reaching at more than 100 million USD which in the period of transition to democracy and European integration turn the industrial plant from the largest pollutant in the region into a company applying the highest standards in the field of environmental protection. In the last six years data from the monitoring of the environment shows zero values in exceeding levels of air and water pollution while greenhouse gas emissions in the last 10 years decreased by 40 times. The company is part of the international group of companies Vimetko, operating on three continents – Europe, Asia and Africa. The amount of production for the year 2011 in ALRO reaches 476 kilotons of aluminium which makes the Romanian manufacturer one of the largest in the European Union and places it in Top 10 of the manufacturers in the world market. The growth is accompanied by continuous modernization, introduction of the latest technical solutions in the field of environmental protection and guarantees for employee safety. The work visit to the town of Slatina emphasized upon the experience of Romanian commissioners in the inspection of large industrial sites. During the discussions there was presented the inspection procedure in Romania made according the technical requirements and rules for organisation and conduction of activities related to environmental control. The rules in question apply the minimum criteria for European Union member states as well as the regulations of a government ordinance for environmental protection. Complex inspections of industrial sites carried out by Bulgarian experts are also planned and conducted in compliance with the European criteria for control and following the guidelines of the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Waters.
Bulgarian -Romanian group of experts comprising more than 20 people is actively working towards the fulfillment of the project tasks, related to strengthening prevention activities, improvement of the control procedures and the preparation of a joint methodology.
Main organiser of the work visit that took place in the period 30th May-1st June 2012 is the Romanian National Environmental Guard. The visit comprises a part of the joint activities in Strategic project „Joint Risk Monitoring during Emergencies in the Danube Area Border“, reference number № 2s-2.2-1, MIS-ETC Code: 166 financed by the European Regional development fund and the State budgets of Republic of Bulgaria and Republic of Romania under the Crossborder Cooperation Programme Romania-Bulgaria 2007-2013.
