The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016

CHAPTER 1 E+W Energy activities

SECTION 1.1 E+W Combustion activities

Part A(1)

(a) Burning any fuel in an appliance with a rated thermal input of 50 or more megawatts.

Interpretation and application of Part A(1)

1.  For the purpose of Part A(1) of this Section, where two or more appliances with an aggregate rated thermal input of 50 or more megawatts are operated on the same site by the same operator, those appliances must be treated as a single appliance with a rated thermal input of 50 or more megawatts. E+W

2.  Nothing in this Part of this Section applies to burning fuels in an appliance installed on an offshore platform situated on, above or below those parts of the sea adjacent to England and Wales from the low water mark to the seaward baseline of the United Kingdom territorial sea. E+W

3.  In paragraph 2, “ offshore platform” means any fixed or floating structure which— E+W

(a) is used for the purposes of or in connection with the production of petroleum, and

(b) in the case of a floating structure, is maintained on a station during the course of production,

but does not include any structure where the principal purpose of the use of the structure is the establishment of the existence of petroleum or the appraisal of its characteristics, quality or quantity or the extent of any reservoir in which it occurs.

4.  In paragraph 3, “ petroleum” includes any mineral oil or relative hydrocarbon and natural gas existing in its natural condition in strata but does not include coal or bituminous shales or other stratified deposits from which oil can be extracted by destructive distillation. E+W

5.  Nothing in this Part of this Section applies to burning fuels in an appliance installed on a gas storage or unloading platform as defined in regulation 2 of the Offshore Combustion Installations (Pollution Prevention and Control) Regulations 2013 M1 . E+W

Part B

Unless falling within Part A(1) of this Section—

(a) Burning any fuel in—

(i) a boiler,

(ii) a furnace,

(iii) a gas turbine, or

(iv) a compression ignition engine,

with a net rated thermal input of 20 or more megawatts, but a rated thermal input of less than 50 megawatts.

(b) Burning any waste oil in an appliance with a rated thermal input of less than 3 megawatts.

Interpretation and application of Part B

Marginal Citations

M1 S.I. 2013/971.

1.  Part B does not apply to any activity falling within Part A(1) of Section 5.1. E+W

2.  For the purpose of paragraph (a) of Part B of this Section, where two or more appliances with an aggregate net rated thermal input of 20 or more megawatts are operated on the same site by the same operator, those appliances must be treated as a single appliance with a net rated thermal input of 20 or more megawatts. E+W

SECTION 1.2 E+W Gasification, liquefaction and refining activities

Part A(1)

(a) Refining gas where this is likely to involve the use of 1,000 or more tonnes of gas in any 12-month period.

(b) Operating coke ovens.

(c) Gasification or liquefaction of—

(i) coal, or

(ii) other fuels in installations with a total rated thermal input of 20 or more megawatts.

(d) Refining mineral oils.

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

(i) crude oil;

(ii) stabilised crude petroleum.

(f) Activities involving the pyrolysis, carbonisation, distillation, partial oxidation or other heat treatment of—

(i) coal (other than the drying of coal),

(ii) lignite,

(iii) oil,

(iv) other carbonaceous material, or

(v) mixtures of any of these,

otherwise than with a view to making charcoal.

(g) Activities involving the liquefaction or gasification of other carbonaceous material.

Interpretation and application of Part A(1)

1.  Part A(1)(f) does not include— E+W

(a) the use of any substance as a fuel;

(b) the incineration in a waste incineration plant or waste co-incineration plant of any substance as a waste;

(c) any activity for the treatment of sewage or sewage sludge;

(d) the anaerobic digestion of biodegradable material, whether or not containing or comprising waste.

2.  In Part A(1)(f), the heat treatment of oil, other than distillation, does not include the heat treatment of waste oil or waste emulsions containing oil in order to recover the oil from aqueous emulsions. E+W

3.  In Part A(1), “ carbonaceous material” includes such materials as charcoal, coke, peat, rubber and wood, but does not include wood which has not been chemically treated or sewage. E+W

4.  In paragraph (1)(d), “ anaerobic digestion” means the mesophilic and thermophilic biological decomposition and stabilisation of biodegradable materials which— E+W

(a) is carried on under controlled anaerobic conditions,

(b) produces a methane-rich gas mixture, and

(c) results in stable sanitised material that can be applied to land for the benefit of agriculture or to improve the soil structure or nutrients in land.

Part A(2)

(a) Refining gas where this activity does not fall within Part A(1)(a) of this Section.

Part B

(a) Blending odorant for use with natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas.

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

(c) The unloading of petrol into stationary storage tanks at a service station, if the total quantity of petrol unloaded into such tanks at the service station in any 12-month period is likely to be 500m³ or more.

(d) Motor vehicle refuelling activities at an existing service station after the prescribed date, if the throughput of petrol at that service station in any 12-month period is or is likely to be in excess of 3,000m³.

(e) Motor vehicle refuelling activities at a new service station, if the throughput of petrol at that service station in any 12-month period is, or is intended to be in excess of 500m³.

(f) Motor vehicle refuelling activities at a new service station if the throughput of petrol at that service station in any 12-month period is, or is intended to be in excess of 100m³ and it is situated under permanent living quarters or working areas.

Interpretation of Part B

1.  In Part B— E+W

“existing service station” means a service station—

(a)

which was put into operation, or

(b)

for which planning permission under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 M2 was granted,

before 1st January 2010;

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

“new service station” means—

(a)

a service station for which planning permission under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 was granted on or after 1st January 2010 and—

(i)

in relation to paragraph (e) of Part B, it is put into operation on or after 1st January 2010;

(ii)

in relation to paragraph (f) of Part B, it is put into operation on or after 1st January 2012;

(b)

any existing service station which, on or after 1st January 2012, undergoes a major refurbishment, which has the same meaning as in PVR II;

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

“prescribed date” means 31st December 2011 if the throughput is in excess of 3,500m³ and 31st December 2018 if the throughput is in excess of 3,000m³;

“service station” means any premises where petrol is dispensed to motor vehicle fuel tanks from stationary storage tanks but does not include any service station exclusively used in association with the construction and delivery of new motor vehicles;

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

Marginal Citations

M2 1990 c. 8.

2.  Any other expressions used in Part B which, in relation to paragraphs (b) and (c), are also used in PVR I or, in relation to paragraphs (d) to (f), are also used in PVR II, have the same meaning as in those Directives. E+W