Operator guidance

With the implementation of the IPPC Directive (96/61/EC), the United Kingdom is required to report emission quantities to the European Pollutant Emission Register (EPER). This information is collected in Scotland through the SPRI. The general guidance note provides guidance to operators on how to complete the SPRI return form and also gives some advice on determining emissions released from industrial sites.

Technical guidance notes are being produced by SEPA and the Environment Agency over the next two years. This sector-specific guidance will help operators to submit more reliable and consistent returns concerning their annual mass emissions.  The guidance has been developed through a process of consultation between industry stakeholders and SEPA ourselves and is part of a range of non-statutory guidance and tools that are being produced.

Using the sector-specific guidance and tools is not statutory. In general, operators should use the best data and techniques available to them, although the SPRI does not require additional monitoring to be undertaken. If UK guidance is not available for a specific sector, a number of references to reporting guidance developed by other organisations are available in Appendix 2 of the SPRI general guidance: 

Activities-related guidance is listed below:

Activities Guidance Title Current Status
Intensive Agriculture (New updated version 2009) Guidance available pdf link (134k)
Petroleum Guidance available pdf link (444k)
Combustion Guidance available pdf link (360k)
Incineration Guidance available pdf link (349k)
Ferrous and non-ferrous metals note Guidance available pdf link (437k)
Cement and lime Guidance available pdf link (250k)
Paper and pulp Guidance available pdf link (253k)
Chemicals activities Guidance available pdf link (301k)
Radiological sites Sector specific RSA guidance from Environment Agency website external link
Landfill

Sector specific guidance from Environment Agency website:

GasSim landfill gas estimator tool Estimate landfill gas annual mass emissions external link
ConSim landfill leachate estimator tool Estimate landfill leachate mass emissions external link
Non landfill

Sector specific guidance external link from Environment Agency website: