Regulating Major Industrial Plants
Scotland's major industrial plants have the potential to cause severe impact on the environment as a whole due to waste emmissions to air, water and land.
Processes with the greatest potential to cause pollution are currently regulated through IPC. Regular reviews of IPC authorisations ensure continual improvement in environmental performance, either through changes in management systems or installation of new technologies as they become available.
IPC and LAPC Operational Actvity
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LAPC
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IPC
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|
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Applications
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|
|
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Number of applications in hand at start of year
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122
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11
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|
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Number of applications recieved in year
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95
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14
|
|
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Number of applications determined in year
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164
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21
|
|
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Number of applications outstanding
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53
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4
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|
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Percentage of applications determined within minimum statutory period
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63%
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24%
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|
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Inspections
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1998/99
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1999/00
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2000/01
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Number of inspections completed
|
|
|
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LAPC
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1,793
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2,417
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2,667
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IPC
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682
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678
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603
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Number of reviews completed
|
|
|
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LAPC
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502
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290
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217
|
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IPC
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94
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32
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19
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Number of authorisations
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|
|
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LAPC
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1,600
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1,865
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1,850
|
|
IPC
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205
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200
|
195
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COMAH Implementation
Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations which implement the Seveso Directive came into force on 1st April 1999. They are enforced in Scotland by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and SEPA acting as the Competent Authority.
Related Links:
Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Preparation
The EC Directive 96/61/EC on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) is being implemented under the new Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999. Under the Act the existing IPC regime will be replaced by a new pollution prevention and control (PPC) regime.
The requirements of the Directive are based on the IPC regime. However there are a number of significant differences:
- a wider definition of emission, to include noise, vibration, heat and energy as well as substances
- a requirement to take raw material use into account
- requirements to include con-taminated land, site restoration and permit surrenders
- a new pollution emissions register
- assessment of installations rather than individual processes
- use of Best Available Techniques (BAT) although this is broadly similar to BATNEEC.
IPPC will also apply to a wider range of industrial activities than IPC. For example:
- food and drink installations such as large creameries
- intensive pig and poultry agriculture
- most landfill and large waste treatment sites (transferred from the Waste Management Licensing regime)
- animal rendering and tanneries (transferred from LAPC).
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