Dutch prosecutors launch criminal case against Tata Steel over pollution

Dutch prosecutors opened a criminal case against Tata Steel IJmuiden B.V. on July 8, saying the steelmaker is suspected of intentionally and unlawfully releasing harmful substances into the air.

The Dutch Public Prosecution Service opened the case after a criminal investigation began in 2022, following a complaint filed by a lawyer on behalf of more than 800 plaintiffs. Prosecutors found clear indications that Tata did not take enough care to prevent hazardous pollution, and the inquiry also covers failure to report incidents involving raw coke, inadequate maintenance of a heavily polluting coke oven and operating without the proper licenses. The first court hearing is set for November 20, 2026, at the District Court of Amsterdam.

The plant’s emissions have long been a source of complaint in IJmuiden and nearby Wijk aan Zee, where residents have linked dust, odor and noise to the site on the North Sea coast west of Amsterdam. In 2023, the Netherlands Institute for Public Health and the Environment said Tata Steel’s current emissions put people in the IJmond region at elevated risk of disease, that 80% of Wijk aan Zee residents experienced odor, dust and noise nuisance, and that life expectancy there was 2.5 months lower because of fine particles and nitrogen dioxide tied to the plant.

The criminal case lands after a series of earlier enforcement actions. Tata had already received a €150,000 fine for environmental permit violations, and later paid €8.5 million in fines in a separate case involving two coke plants that regulators said emitted heavy metal particles and benzene. In February 2024, a government-appointed Health Expert Group warned that health damage could worsen as Tata pursued greener steel production in IJmuiden by 2030 and urged faster closure of Coking Gas Factory 2.

Tata Steel Nederland said it disagreed with the accusations and argued it had already made major improvements in recent years to reduce pollution. Residents near the plant filed a mass civil claim in December seeking up to €1.4 billion in damages for health harm and falling house prices.