Belgian ‘Promaz fund’
Belgian ‘Promaz fund’ provides help and financial support for soil remediation after heating oil leaks.
Remediation of soil pollution caused by a leaking heating oil tank is expensive, and often exceeds the financial means of owners or end users, especially as not all insurance policies cover these costs. Such a clean-up is now feasible, thanks to the support of the Promaz fund, set up by the sector federations Informazout - the Belgian Eurofuel member, Brafco and Energia.
Oil heating remains popular with many Belgian individuals and companies. In 99% of cases, it never causes any problems. Exceptionally, i.e. at 1%, a leak from the heating oil tank or pipe can contaminate the soil. In that case, the owner or end user must remediate the soil and the cost of doing so can often be substantial. Those who have carried this out in the past, or are facing it in the future, can now count on support from the Promaz fund. The application period for filing is three years and ends at the end of February 2025. The fund's operating budget, established for a 20-year period, is estimated at €610 million.
Total relief
Promaz helps in two ways. The owner or user of the building can arrange to have the soil decontamination carried out, pay for everything upfront and then apply to the fund for reimbursement of the costs. The second option is an even greater relief, because then Promaz itself can take on responsibility for the remediation. In this case, the fund appoints a soil remediation expert and a contractor, and pays the costs up to the specified maximum amount. The maximum contribution payable towards that intervention is 200,000 euros, including VAT, for private individuals (family houses, flats and other residential units) and 100,000 euros including VAT for companies (buildings without a residential function, such as schools, office buildings, hotels, hospitals, etc.)
Support
To help affected heating oil users get started, a simple test has been posted on the Promaz website (www.promaz.be ) to enable them to find out whether they are eligible for support. They can also discover there what kind of application they can submit immediately.
Both recent pollutions and past pollutions are eligible for Promaz support.
Disclaimer
The intervention of Promaz is made under the provisions of the Cooperation Agreement, as in force a) on the date of the application, b) on the basis of the Promaz priority list and c) in function of and up to the amount of the available financial resources of Promaz (art 16 of the Cooperation Agreement).
16 March 2023
