Hungary Fines CATL Debrecen Plant HUF 10 Million for Waste Management Breaches
Hungary's Hajdu-Bihar county government office has fined CATL's Debrecen battery plant HUF 10 million (about RMB 217,000) for waste management violations found during a surprise inspection. The breaches included unlabeled waste, missing signage at collection points, and incomplete operating logs. The company has since rectified the issues and paid the fine, with 30% of the penalty going to Debrecen's municipal government.
The Hajdu-Bihar county government office in Hungary has fined CATL's battery plant in Debrecen HUF 10 million (approximately RMB 217,000) for multiple waste management violations discovered during a surprise inspection. The company may appeal within 15 days of receiving the penalty decision.
Local environmental authorities found that waste in one building on the site was not labeled by category or nature, and some waste packaging and collection containers bore only foreign-language labels. In addition, several waste collection points across the facility lacked clear signage, making it difficult for inspectors to identify their exact locations. Regulators also noted that the company had not assigned dedicated personnel to supervise the collection points as required, nor maintained the necessary waste collection operation logs.
The penalty document showed that the "P41 emission source," which had been in operation since May 5, was not included in the corresponding operation log, which should have recorded the latest status of the plant's waste collection points. Regulators considered this a breach of environmental management obligations. On July 9, environmental authorities re-inspected the plant, finding that the company had completed corrective actions, with waste storage now in compliance and operation logs submitted.
This was not the first time the plant had drawn attention recently. In June, a storage tank leaked diethyl carbonate during extraction, releasing about one liter of the compound into the environment. The company said at the time that experts contained the leak within five minutes and that no injuries occurred. Earlier, the plant had also been investigated for discharging a green liquid into sewers, which the company said was non-hazardous.
Zoltan Tarkanyi, a local lawmaker from the opposition Tisza Party, said that 30% of the fine, or HUF 3 million, would go to the Debrecen municipal government. He called on the city to use the funds for nature conservation projects, such as restoring the degraded "Great Forest" natural area. Debrecen had previously provided land for the plant project.
The company said it had taken measures after the inspection to ensure full compliance, including additional training for waste management staff and ongoing internal site audits by its experts to verify the effectiveness of management measures. It stated that authorities found the plant's operations normal in subsequent inspections, accepted the penalty, and would pay the HUF 10 million fine. The company said it would continue to prioritize compliance with all applicable laws, environmental regulations, and regulatory requirements, and maintain close cooperation with authorities.