Work aimed at completing the biomethane plant in Contrada San Domenico, in northern Benevento, has been stopped under a new municipal executive ordinance.
The measure orders the plant's owner to halt all technical, construction and instrumental operations needed to finish the facility. According to NTR24's report of 18 September 2026, the stop remains in place pending action by judicial authorities concerning the availability of the plant.
What the suspension covers
The ordinance targets the activities required for the ultimazione of the biomethane facility — in practical terms, the technical and construction work that would bring the plant to completion.
That is broader than a pause on production alone. It freezes the final technical steps rather than authorizing the operator to continue preparing the site while legal questions are resolved.
Why the municipality acted
The Municipality of Benevento has linked the decision to findings by Arpac, the regional environmental protection agency.
According to the municipal account, Arpac identified significant discrepancies between the plant as found and its authorization documents. The suspension will therefore remain in force until the company complies with the prescribed requirements and restores the conditions that had previously allowed operations to begin.
The municipality has not publicly detailed every authorization deviation in the material acquired so far, and the full text and legal wording of the newest executive ordinance were not available in the sources reviewed.
Judicial question over availability
A central element of the new order is its connection to pending judicial measures regarding the plant's availability.
NTR24 reports that the stop is tied to forthcoming decisions by judicial authorities on that point. The sources do not state how long those proceedings may last or when the plant could resume work or operations.
For residents and operators alike, that leaves the timetable open: the municipal suspension sets compliance conditions, while the judicial track will determine availability separately.
Odors and the 19 September reference date
The dispute has unfolded against severe odor complaints reported by residents in the area.
The operating company had said biomass-emptying activities, presented as a way to mitigate those odor problems, would be completed by 19 September 2026.
Whether that emptying work can continue under the new order was not clear from the material acquired. The ordinance is described as stopping all technical operations and activities needed to complete the plant, but the sources do not explicitly resolve whether biomass removal falls inside or outside that prohibition.
What has to happen before any restart
Taken together, the two sources point to two hurdles before the San Domenico facility can move forward:
- Compliance with the municipal and Arpac prescriptions, including correction of the discrepancies from the authorizations and restoration of the conditions required for operation.
- Clarification of the judicial position on the plant's availability.
Until both tracks are resolved, construction and completion work remain suspended.
The next useful clarifications for the neighborhood will be the published text of the ordinance, confirmation of whether odor-mitigation emptying may lawfully continue, and any dates set by the authorities for reinspection or judicial review.
