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Home > News and agenda > Environmental authorization issued by the State
The environmental authorization order for the Seine-Nord Europe Canal for the sectors located between Passel in the Oise and Aubencheul-au-Bac in the North, was signed on Friday, August 9, 2024 by the Prefects of the Departments of Oise, Somme, Pas-de-Calais and Nord. After the authorization obtained in 2021 for the 18 kilometers of sector 1 in the Oise valley, where construction work is continuing, this order is a further step in the construction of the Seine-Nord Europe Canal. It thus authorizes the start of work on the remaining 89 kilometers, by precisely defining the conditions of this construction site, while respecting the territory and the environment.
The environmental authorization application file submitted by the Société du Canal Seine-Nord Europe on March 25, 2022 is substantial and has been examined by the competent State services. All topics linked in particular to water and aquatic environments, biodiversity, landscape, security have been studied, and translate to commitments of the project owner detailed by the file, to be carried out within the framework defined by the authorization order of August 9, 2024.
After the first stage of twenty months of training by the State Services, during which this file was the subject of the consultations required in the examination phase (Environmental Authority, National Council for the Protection of Nature, Local Water Commissions of the SAGE, etc.), The second stage was marked by the public inquiry in the first half of 2024, which ended with a favorable opinion from the Commission of Inquiry.
In line with the broad consultation conducted over four years with local stakeholders and residents, this entire procedure has led to clarifying and improving the project that will be carried out. The authorization issued by the State Services commits the Seine-Nord Europe Canal Company to comply with strict and binding requirements, and constitutes a a real guarantee of an environmentally friendly project. Once in service, the Seine-Nord Europe Canal will thus contribute to the decarbonization of transport thanks to the modal shift towards river transport, to reindustrialization and to the economic and social development of the areas served.
Environmental roadmap of the project, each requirement of the environmental authorization file – whether it concerns the avoidance of impacts, their reduction on site or the implementation of the ambitious program of compensatory measures – will be the subject of detailed and regular monitoring by the State Services in order to guarantee the proper implementation of the decree.
The environmental authorization, issued on April 8, 2021 for sector 1 between Compiègne and Passel in Oise, enabled the start of construction work on the Canal: construction of quays and the first bridges, digging of a new bed for a section of the Oise river, etc. The project will continue to gain momentum, in particular with the start of the Montmacq-Cambronne-lès-Ribécourt lock project from autumn 2024.
This new environmental authorization for the sectors between Passel and Aubencheul-au-Bac will allow the launch of works contracts and the notification of companies, an important step in the concrete progress of the project. It will also allow the continuation of environmental development work and the start of preliminary work to free up the rights-of-way. Initial works will be able to start, in particular with work quays to facilitate the river logistics of the site, road diversions, preparatory work for the locks, etc.
Added August 23, 2024 - Updated August 23, 2024
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