July 15, 2026 Photo: Depositphotos.com

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Tata Steel must decontaminate the soil at part of its IJmuiden site after years of steel making polluted the surrounding ground and groundwater, the North Sea Canal area environment agency OD NZKG said on Tuesday.

Some 835,000 tonnes of slag, a residual product of steel making, had been stored at the Mergelkade in Velsen-Noord since 2018. An investigation by the agency in 2024 found that harmful substances had leached into the soil and groundwater.

Tata Steel removed the slag itself by November 2025 on the agency’s orders, shipping part to the Baltic states and moving part to temporary storage elsewhere on the site. But the ground beneath remains contaminated, and the company must now dig out most of the polluted soil and replace it with clean soil or sand under a plan approved by the agency.

Mounting pressure
The clean-up order adds to mounting legal and political pressure on the steel maker. Last week the public prosecution service said it would take Tata Steel to court for intentionally releasing illegal pollutants, and the cabinet has made clear a planned €2 billion support package now hangs in the balance.

Residents are also seeking some €1.4 billion in compensation through a mass claim over health damage and falling house prices.

The use of steel slag, once widely applied in road building, has been banned nationally on a temporary basis since July 2025 because of the leaching risks.

Environment Tata Steel Uncategorized

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