Industry. Emme mega-factory project near Bordeaux: the coming months will be decisive

Alongside the public consultation, the Seveso "high threshold" industrial site project, led by the company Emme in Gironde, must obtain environmental authorization. The application is under review. Six municipalities are being asked to comment, as well as Bordeaux Métropole.

From "preliminary" between March 24 and May 15, the consultation on the Emme (Electro Mobility Materials Europe) project for a nickel and cobalt conversion unit dedicated to electric mobility has become "ongoing" this fall. What's changing?

Formally, not much. The public finds more or less the same methods: public meetings, mobile information stands, etc. However, the range of communication is expanding. In addition to the meetings organized by Emme in the Intermarché parking lot in Parempuyre every two weeks (the first and third Wednesdays of the month), a newsletter has also just been published.

The public meeting to launch the ongoing consultation will be held on Tuesday, September 16, in Parempuyre (6:30 p.m. at the L'Art y show space). The last one, on the theme of risks, will take place on October 28, in Blanquefort (6:30 p.m. at the Fongravey multipurpose hall).

For Sylvie Dubois-Decool, CEO of Emme, "upcoming meetings will allow us to update the public on the changes made to the project following discussions and proposals made in the spring. We're making as many opportunities as possible available to explain and answer questions," she says. Emme was recently recognized as a major project of national interest.

Like the preliminary phase, the ongoing consultation is taking place under the auspices of the National Commission for Public Debate (CNDP). Jean-Michel Thornary has been appointed guarantor. Familiar with the issue, he already worked alongside Richard Pasquet during the previous phase.

Following the CNDP assessment, Emme confirmed in June its intention to continue its factory project on the banks of the Garonne , on an area of ​​32 hectares behind the Grattequina pontoon, between Parempuyre and Blanquefort. In a flood zone, according to the Flood Risk Prevention Plan for the Bordeaux metropolitan area. Despite hydraulic studies, modeling and the planned backfilling, opponents see it as nonsense, a major danger in the event of a hazard or accident.

Classified as Seveso "high threshold" in view of the significant number of tonnes of ore converted on site, this factory project (with a materials science laboratory) must be the subject of an environmental authorization request including an impact study, a hazard study, etc. Everything is governed by the Environmental Code.

"The 32-hectare site of the Grand Port Maritime de Bordeaux, on which the industrial site is to be built, is not buildable as it stands."

This request arrived at the prefecture in July. As did the request for the compatibility of urban planning documents (MECDU). The 32-hectare site of the Grand Port Maritime de Bordeaux, on which the industrial site is to be located, is not buildable as it stands. An amendment to the Bordeaux Métropole Intercommunal Local Urban Plan (PLUi) is required to change the allocation of the plots. Without this, the location in this area would fall through.

The entire application for environmental and planning permission totals 3,700 pages. Deemed complete, the file was forwarded to the investigating authorities. Emme is now responsible for responding to any comments. The entire application, possibly amended, will be subject to a public inquiry (with an investigating commissioner) during which the public will have access to all documents and will be able to make observations and express opinions. The opening and closing dates for this public inquiry have not been set. "It will depend on the number of responses from government services and the time required to respond," emphasizes Sylvie Dubois-Decool. However, the window should open in November or December.

An important element is that the new Green Industry Law, which aims to facilitate the country's reindustrialization, has modified the investigation procedures. These procedures are now said to be accelerated for project leaders. Thus, there will be only one public inquiry. This will cover all the topics. Its duration: one month. Once this consultation is completed, the investigating commissioner will submit his findings to the prefect for a final decision. If the green light is given, the building permit application can follow.

On August 7, the Gironde prefect, Étienne Guyot, sent a letter to six municipalities requesting their opinions. This regulatory request is part of the investigation into the environmental authorization application filed by Emme. The law requires consultation with municipal councils. This concerns the two municipalities where the project is located, Parempuyre and Blanquefort, as well as the communities located within the radius defined by the nomenclature of installations classified for environmental protection (ICPE), namely Bordeaux, Ambarès, Saint-Louis-de-Montferrand, and Bassens. Bordeaux Métropole is added to the list.

The date of sending the file, in the middle of summer, probably took many elected officials by surprise when they returned from vacation.

The deadline for deliberation is two months from receipt of the letter. In other words, until October 7. The mailing date in the middle of summer probably caught many elected officials off guard after returning from vacation, forced to ingest hundreds, even thousands of pages of documents to inform their judgment.

Pressed for time, the deliberative assemblies will have to debate and decide at the next municipal council meeting. Ambarès will open the ball rolling on Monday, September 15. Blanquefort will follow on Monday, September 22. Those of Parempuyre and Saint-Louis-de-Montferrand are scheduled for Wednesday, September 24. In Bordeaux, it will be held on Tuesday, September 30. Alexandre Rubio, mayor of Bassens and president of the Bordeaux Port Supervisory Board, will convene his on October 7. As for the next metropolitan council meeting, it will take place on Friday, September 26.

These opinions are advisory; they are not legally binding. However, the prefect will have to include them in the public inquiry file. What will happen if municipalities issue unfavorable opinions? Will political weight be set aside six months before the municipal elections? The prefect can issue environmental authorization, even if one or more municipalities issue a strictly unfavorable opinion. But he will be required to provide reasons for his decision.