EU Council approves Industrial Emissions Directive
The EU Council approved the new Industrial Emissions Directive on 8th November. The Directive consolidates seven existing Directives related to industrial emissions into a single legislative instrument. Existing legislation impacted includes the IPPC Directive, the Large Combustion Plants Directive, the Waste Incineration Directive and the Solvents Directive.
It includes minimum provisions covering the inspection of industrial installations, the review of permits, reporting on compliance and the protection of soil.
It is further intended that the streamlining of permitting, reporting and monitoring requirements will simplify implementation, leading to a reduction in the administrative burden on both industry and regulators.
Emission limits for nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide and dust from power plants and large combustion installations are reduced. New plants must apply the cleanest available technology from 2012, four years earlier than initially proposed. Existing plants have to comply with this standard from 2016, though a transition period is foreseen. Member states may define transitional plans until June 2020 with declining annual caps for NOx, SO2 or dust emissions.
The Directive is expected to be published in the Official Journal before the end of 2010. Environet will provide comprehensive guides to the new Directive in our future news items.