Bulgaria levies 300 000 leva fine on Montupet car parts plant in Rousse

Bulgarian authorities have imposed a fine of 300 000 leva, or about 153 400 euro, on the plant owned by French car parts manufacturer Montupet in the town of Rousse on the Danube River, for releasing noxious emissions into the air in November 2016, public broadcaster Bulgarian National Television reported.

The fine was levied by the local environmental protection inspectorate and appeared to refer to a different incident than the one in September of last year, when the Environment Ministry announced it would issue a 500 000 leva fine to Montupet for breaching the terms of its environmental permit, following no fewer than 45 complaints from Rousse’s residents about a pungent smell emanating from the plant.

That incident in September 2016 led to 108 ventilation shafts in the Montupet facility being sealed by environmental inspectors, but the follow-up inspection in November found two open shafts that should not have been in use, Bulgarian National Radio reported.

Montupet’s aluminium parts plant in Rousse started work in September 2008, manufacturing cylinder heads and chassis parts for Audi, BMW, Renault and Ford.

(Photo: Daniel Go/flickr.com)

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