The Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2012

Interpretation: best available techniques, etc.

4.  In these Regulations—

“available techniques” means those techniques which have been developed on a scale which allows implementation in the relevant industrial sector, under economically and technically viable conditions, taking into consideration the cost and advantages, whether or not the techniques are used or produced inside the United Kingdom, as long as they are reasonably accessible to the operator,

“BAT conclusions” means a document containing the parts of a BAT reference document laying down the conclusions on best available techniques, their description, information to assess their applicability, the emission levels associated with the best available techniques, associated monitoring, associated consumption levels and, where appropriate, relevant site remediation measures,

“BAT reference document” means a document, resulting from the exchange of information organised for the purposes of Article 13 of the Industrial Emissions Directive, drawn up for defined activities and describing, in particular applied techniques, present emissions and consumption levels, techniques considered for the determination of best available techniques as well as BAT conclusions and any emerging techniques, giving special consideration to the matters listed in Schedule 3,

“best” means, in relation to techniques, most effective in achieving a high general level of protection of the environment as a whole,

“best available techniques” mean the most effective and advanced stage in the development of activities and their methods of operation which indicates the practical suitability of particular techniques for providing the basis for emission limit values and other permit conditions designed to prevent and, where that is not practicable, to reduce emissions and the impact on the environment as a whole,

“emerging technique” means a novel technique for an industrial activity that, if commercially developed, could when compared to existing best available techniques provide—

(a)

a higher level of protection of the environment, or

(b)

at least the same level of protection of the environment and higher cost savings,

“emission levels associated with the best available techniques” means the range of emission levels obtained under normal operating conditions using a best available technique, or combination of best available techniques, as described in BAT conclusions, expressed as an average over a given period of time, under specified reference conditions, and

“techniques” includes both the technology used and the way in which an installation is designed, built, maintained, operated and decommissioned.