On Tuesday, Autoeuropa said its planned environmental investments should allow it to retain its leadership in the PRR-funded Drivolution consortium, which it had to abandon due to environmental failures.
“In the opinion of Volkswagen Autoeuropa, the efforts that the company proposes to undertake through the planned investments will allow it to sign the appropriate declaration of compliance with the DNSH principle and therefore maintain leadership in the consortium,” the company states in a written response sent to the Lusa agency.
“We regret that, in light of the current emissions measurement system developed in accordance with the country’s DNSH principle, Volkswagen Autoeuropa is not considered a subject to the PRR. [Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência]which in practice means the company’s withdrawal from the Drivolution consortium,” he adds.
Compliance with Do Not Significant Harm (DNSH) environmental standards is required of all companies that participate in projects made possible by PRR funds, as is the case with Drivolution, a consortium of about 20 companies and 20 organizations from the scientific and technological system with the aim industrial transformation towards the “factory of the future”.
The newspaper Público reported on Tuesday that Autoeuropa was forced to leave the consortium it led and will be replaced by another auto sector company that is already part of the consortium and will take over the leadership.
This consortium intended to invest around 168 million euros, of which 145 million came from companies, with Autoeuropa being the main investor (68 million euros), but the use of natural gas in painting the T-Roc model would have forced the plant to move to Palmela. abandon the project.
In a response sent to Lusa on Tuesday, Volkswagen Autoeuropa stressed that it is making “a set of investments in the environmental field that will reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by approximately 85% between 2021 and 2027.”
As he emphasizes, “this investment, as well as the investments planned for the near future, proves that preserving the environment is a central goal of Volkswagen Autoeuropa’s business strategy.”
Among them, the company names the electrification of boiler and waste incineration equipment, which it presents as “a measure of excellence included in European and national decarbonization policies.”
Despite the withdrawal from Drivolution, Autoeuropa emphasizes that the consortium intends to present a proposal for the maintenance and viability of the project as part of “an initiative that Volkswagen Autoeuropa will support, taking into account in particular the participation of organizations from the academic world.” and the Portuguese business sector in sustainable technological development projects, contributing factors to which Volkswagen Autoeuropa has always strived to contribute.”
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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