Environmental directives – a barrier or an opportunity for the development of low-invasive trenchless technology
In the current era of rapid energy and climate transformation, low-impact environmental technologies are becoming the foundation of modern linear infrastructure. Trenchless methods, such as Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) and Direct Pipe, enable the construction of underground networks with minimal disturbance to the landscape, soil, and natural habitats. Nevertheless, their practical application is often constrained by rigid and ambiguous legal frameworks.
The aim of this study was to identify and analyze legal and environmental barriers that hinder the use of trenchless technologies in ecologically valuable areas—particularly Natura 2000 sites, peatlands, and river valleys. The analysis covered selected EU legal acts, including the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC), the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive (2011/92/EU), the Taxonomy Regulation (EU 2020/852), and the Nature Restoration Law (2023/2195). Cases of conflict between legal provisions (EIA – Environmental Impact Assessment) and the actual environmental impact of selected technologies were also examined.
The study concluded that there is a pressing need to develop dedicated environmental guidelines for trenchless technologies and to formally recognize them as preferred techniques in, among others, linear infrastructure projects. It also proposed initiating work on including these methods in the BAT (Best Available Techniques) framework, which could mark a breakthrough in the decision-making process for environmentally sensitive infrastructure investments.
He completed his master’s degree in 1990 at the AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Drilling and Oil. Since 1990, he has been an employee of the AGH Department of Drilling, Oil and Gas. He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Engineering in 2000 and the degree of Doctor of Science in 2014 at the same Faculty. Current scientific discipline: environmental engineering, mining and energy. Main scientific activities: trenchless technologies, drilling, geoengineering. Currently Head of the Chair of Drilling and Geoengineering at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków . Served as associate dean for full-time studies from 2008 to 2016. Head of postgraduate studies ‘Modern technologies for excavation of pipelines’. Author and co-author of more than 120 publications, 100 opinions and studies for the industry, supervisor of nearly 70 master’s theses and more than 50 engineering theses. He is a keen angler, former sportsman and connoisseur of good cuisine.