The Industrial Pollution Control (Prescribed Processes and Substances) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998

Chapter 1 Fuel Production Processes, Combustion Processes (including Power Generation) and Associated Processes

Section 1.1 Gasification and associated Processes

Part A

(a)

Reforming natural gas.

(b)

Refining natural gas if that process is related to another Part A process or is likely to involve the use in any 12 month period of 1000 tonnes or more of natural gas.

(c)

Producing gas from coal, lignite oil or other carbonaceous material or from mixtures thereof other than from sewage or the biological degradation of waste, unless carried on as part of a process which is a combustion process (whether or not that process falls within Section 1.3 of this Schedule).

(d)

Odorising natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas if that process is related to another Part A process.

(e)

Purifying or refining any product of a process described in paragraphs (a), (c) or (d) or converting it into a different product.

In this Section “carbonaceous material” includes materials such as charcoal, coke, peat and rubber.

Part B

(a)

Blending odorant for use with natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas.

(b)

Odorising natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas, except where that process is related to a Part A process.

(c)

Any process for refining natural gas not falling within paragraph (b) of Part A of this Section.

In paragraph (c) of Part B of this Section, “refining natural gas” does not include refining mains gas.

Part C Nil

Section 1.2 Carbonisation and associated Processes

Part A

(a)

The pyrolysis, carbonisation, distillation, liquefaction, partial oxidation or other heat treatment of coal (other than the drying of coal), lignite, oil, other carbonaceous material (as defined in Section 1.1) or mixtures thereof otherwise than with a view to gasification or making of charcoal.

(b)

The purification or refining of any of the products of a process mentioned in paragraph (a) or its conversion into a different product.

Nothing in paragraph (a) or (b) refers to the use of any substance as a fuel or its incineration as a waste or to any process for the treatment of sewage. In paragraph (a), the heat treatment of oil does not include heat treatment of waste oil or waste emulsions containing oil in order to recover the oil.

Part B Nil

Part C Nil

Section 1.3 Combustion Processes

Part A

(a)

Burning any fuel in a combustion appliance with a net rated thermal input of 50 megawatts or more.

For the purposes of this paragraph, where—

(i) two or more boilers or furnaces with an aggregate net rated thermal input of 50 megawatts or more (disregarding any boiler or furnace with a net rated thermal input of less than 3 megawatts); or

(ii) two or more gas turbines or compression ignition engines with an aggregate net rated thermal input of 50 megawatts or more (disregarding any such turbine or engine with a net rated thermal input of less than 3 megawatts),

are operated by the same person at the same location those boilers or furnaces, or, as the case may be, those turbines or engines, shall be treated as a single combustion appliance with a net rated thermal input of 50 megawatts or more.

(b) Burning any of the following in an appliance with a net rated thermal input of 3 megawatts or more otherwise than as a process which is related to a Part B or Part C process—

(i) waste oil;

(ii) recovered oil;

(iii) any fuel manufactured from, or comprising, any other waste.

Nothing in this Part of this Section applies to the burning of any fuel in a boiler, furnace or other appliance with a net rated thermal input of less than 3 megawatts.

Part B Nil

Part C

The following processes unless carried on in relation to and as part of any Part A or Part B process—

(a) burning any fuel in a boiler or furnace with a net rated thermal input of not less than 20 megawatts, but less than 50 megawatts;

(b) burning any fuel in a gas turbine or compression ignition engine with a net rated thermal input of not less than 20 megawatts, but less than 50 megawatts;

(c) burning as fuel, in an appliance with a net rated thermal input of less than 3 megawatts, waste oil or recovered oil;

(d) burning in an appliance with a net rated thermal input of less than 3 megawatts solid fuel which has been manufactured from waste by a process involving the application of heat;

(e) burning, in any appliance, fuel manufactured from, or including, waste (other than waste oil or recovered oil or such fuel as is mentioned in paragraph (d)) if the appliance has a net rated thermal input of less than 3 megawatts but at least 0.4 megawatts or is used together with (whether or not it is operated simultaneously with) other appliances which each have a net rated thermal input of less than 3 megawatts and the aggregate net rated thermal input of all the appliances is at least 0.4 megawatts.

In paragraph (b) of Part A and paragraph (e) of Part C, “fuel” does not include gas produced by biological degradation of waste; and for the purposes of this Section—

• “net rated thermal input” is the rate at which fuel can be burned at the maximum continuous rating of the appliance multiplied by the net calorific value of the fuel and expressed as megawatts thermal; and

• “waste oil” means any mineral based lubricating or industrial oil which has become unfit for the use for which it was intended and, in particular, used combustion engine oil, gearbox oil, mineral lubricating oil, oil for turbines, hydraulic oil; and

• “recovered oil” means waste oil which has been processed before being used.

Section 1.4 Petroleum processes

Part A

(a) The loading, unloading or other handling of, the storage of, or the physical, chemical or thermal treatment of—

(i) crude oil;

(ii) stabilised crude petroleum;

(iii) crude shale oil;

(iv) if related to another process in this paragraph, any associated gas or condensate.

(b) Any process not falling within any other description in this Schedule by which the product of any process described in paragraph (a) is subject to further refining or conversion or is used (otherwise than as a fuel or solvent) in the manufacture of a chemical.

Part B

The following processes unless falling within a description in Part A of this Section—

• The storage of petrol in stationary storage tanks at a terminal, or the loading or unloading of petrol into or from road tankers, rail tankers or inland waterway vessels at a terminal.

In this part of this Section—

“petrol” means any petroleum derivative, with or without additives, having a reid vapour pressure of 27.6 kilopascals or more which is intended for use as a fuel for motor vehicles, other than liquefied petroleum gas.

“terminal” means any premises which are used for the storage and loading of petrol into road tankers, rail tankers or inland waterway vessels;

“inland waterway vessel” means a vessel other than a sea-going vessel, having a total dead weight of 15 tonnes or more.

Part C Nil