Energy from Waste (EfW)

Scotland's early position on the thermal treatment of residual municipal waste (MW) was set out in the SEPA "Thermal Treatment Guidelines 2004". These Guidelines are material to the preparation of development plans and to the determination of planning applications for thermal treatment plants. The updated Guidelines will carry the same status as a "material planning consideration" where relevant. 

The 2009 Guidelines are in two main parts. General guidance is outlined on a range of issues including general planning matters such as capacity, number of facilities and location, as well as the partnerships that may be useful in developing appropriate solutions.  Links to detailed sources of information on these issues are provided.  The Guidelines then provide a detailed position on SEPA's permitting policy in respect of thermal treatment facilities with particular reference to the efficiency of energy recovery.

In order to support Scottish Government policy, SEPA's Thermal Treatment of Waste Guidelines 2009 update and replace the SEPA Thermal Treatment Guidelines 2004. As such the Guidelines now apply to all municipal (MW) and commercial and industrial waste (C&I) with the exception of special (hazardous) wastes. The practical implications of these Guidelines will be that thermal treatment plants handling waste should:

• Take only residual waste after segregation (residual waste is the waste that remains after recycling separation has taken place and could be either mixed waste or segregated waste biomass);
  
  
• Be part of an integrated network of recycling and composting and other waste management facilities; and
  
  
• Recover and use the energy derived from waste efficiently.

The Scottish Government targets for recycling and the landfill diversion targets for MW specified in the landfill directive are challenging. Additional progress in waste prevention, composting, recycling and the development of Energy from Waste (EfW) facilities is required in order for these targets to be met.

These revised Guidelines provide additional detail and advise applicants on what SEPA expects from thermal treatment developments, in particular for an application for an environmental license for a thermal treatment facility.  SEPA will require thermal treatment facilities to be capable of recovering heat or heat and power (referred to as Combined Heat and Power (CHP)) as far as practicable in line with the requirements of the Waste Incineration Directive (WID). For the purposes of these Guidelines the term Environmental Licence is used to cover both Waste Management Licences (WML) and Permits issued under the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000 (PPC) except in instances where reference to a specific licensing regime is necessary.

There is a likelihood that thermal treatment facilities for MW will also be licensed to treat C&I waste. Therefore, for the avoidance of doubt, SEPA intends that the "Thermal Treatment of Waste Guidelines 2009" will apply to all thermal treatment plants recovering energy from MW and/or C&I waste with the primary purpose being to set out to developers what is expected from them in order for SEPA to:

• Cooperate with planning authorities in the preparation of development plans to fulfil its proposed statutory duty as a key agency.
  
  
• Comment on a planning application in SEPA's role as a statutory consultee;
  
  
• Confirm compliance with Scottish Government policies on waste and to advise if the development is capable of being consented; and
  
  
• Advise on the types of information required in the determination of environmental licences for such facilities in relation to energy recovery.