IPPC Directive
The IPPC Directive
The Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive was adopted by the EU in 1996 as Directive 96/61. This provides an integrated approach for a potential pollutant across all media which might be affected.
Background to the IPPC Directive
The key elements of this legislation are:
- new facilities must be in compliance from 1999 October 30
- existing facilities must be in compliance from 2007 October 30
- applies to 6 categories of industry:
- chemicals
- energy
- production and processing of metals
- minerals
- waste management
- "other"
- identifies certain priority polluting substances
- each facility covered by the legislation is subject to authorization through permitting
- permits will be authorized by each Member States' "competent authority"
- emission limits and permits are based upon Best Available Techniques (BAT), which must consider:
- economic and technical viability
- use of low waste technology
- use of less hazardous substances
- recovery and recycling
- consumption of water
- energy efficiency
- technical characteristics of the installation
- geographical location
- local environmental conditions
As a result of wide variations in many of the above considerations, it is recognised that the application of BAT will result in major differences across the EU. Consequently, there is a requirement for an exchange of information, which is the basis for the publication of BAT reference (BREF) notes.
The European IPPC Bureau has been established in Seville to publish the BREF notes. These are (mainly) industry-specific, for all sectors covered by the IPPC Directive, and are available for download from http://eippcb.jrc.es
