Work to clear and clean Corrugados Azpeitia building to begin late July

Work to demolish and clean the Corrugados Azpeitia plant in the Amue area will soon begin. Cristian Lay will be the company responsible for these tasks. As announced by Nagore Alkorta, the mayor of Azpeitia, the first steps will be taken at the end of July, with plans for other work in August. The intensive interior clearing will commence in September, followed by the demolition phase. A representative from the Basque Government will directly oversee the operations.

The High Court of Justice of the Basque Country has dismissed the appeal filed by the Azpeitia City Council, which sought to declare the possibility of resuming economic activity in the Corrugados area as "extinguished." Despite the court not accepting the extinction of activity, the mayor has stated that this decision is irreversible. The company has requested the case be archived and has obtained demolition and dismantling permits from both the Basque Government and the Azpeitia City Council. Furthermore, the company is deregistered for the economic activity tax, and the Basque Government has revoked its water permits.

The Special Plan for the Amue area and the General Plan of 2013 stipulate that this zone is designated for residential use, not industrial activity. Alfonso Gallardo closed the Corrugados Azpeitia foundries and rolling mills in 2013. In 2020, the company was acquired by the Cristian Lay group, which expressed intentions to restart the furnace, but the process ultimately led to legal proceedings. Following several judicial rulings in recent years, the court has now issued a decision against the council's appeal.

Dismantling work on the plant began in 2021, but the Cristian Lay group announced it would not open the facility. Various rulings have been made in recent years, and now the High Court of Justice of the Basque Country has issued a decision against the council's appeal.