Limburg approves expansion of FN ammunition factory in Zutendaal

The province of Limburg has approved plans to expand and modernise the FN ammunition factory in Zutendaal, Belgium.

FN will invest around €50 million in the Zutendaal site and another €50 million in its factory in Herstal. The project will upgrade old production buildings, add new facilities and allow the factory to produce two additional types of ammunition.

The company says the expansion will create around 100 new jobs across its sites in Zutendaal and Herstal. FN recently signed a 20-year agreement to supply ammunition to the Belgian armed forces.

The plans also include new warehouses, improved roads, water management systems and safety measures. A complaints hotline will be set up for local residents.

About 4.5 hectares of forest next to the factory will be cleared for the redevelopment. New woodland will be planted elsewhere in Limburg as compensation.

During a public consultation, 16 objections were submitted, mainly about nature, traffic, noise and safety. Provincial authorities said these concerns were taken into account before granting the permit.

^{#FlandersNewsService | FN factory in Herstal © BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND}