...the Medium Combustion Plant Directive (MCPD)

Last week I sat in on a webinar organised by the REA about the soon to be opened permitting application process for equipment that will fall under the MCPD rules. The directive will apply permitting requirements for relevant boiler and generator installations that are between 1 and 50MW fuel combustion capacity (that is fuel input, not energy output). This is part of a package of measures introduced under the Clean Air Act of 2013 and is designed to help reduce NOx, SOx and particulate emissions towards a 2030 reduction target. It is estimated that the permitting will cost UK industry £15m but give overall benefits of £93m

The earliest permitting date is the 01 January 2019, where new equipment of the relevant type and size that commissioned after this date must have a permit in place to operate and have completed emissions testing within 4 months to demonstrate compliance. There are expected to be some exclusions, so exactly what this equipment is, still needs final clarification but it will definitely include new boilers and electricity generating equipment or older generating plant that commissions after the 1 Jan or is in receipt of a new contract to operate.

Following the introduction of permits in January next year, there will then be a cascaded roll out to permit smaller and different medium combustion plant and older already installed equipment.

You may have picked up how vague this all sounds, especially seeing as the first permits need to be in place by January and the EA require 12 weeks to process a permit which means that permit applications are needed to be submitted in September. The guidance for permits was meant to have been published by now and at the time of writing has still not yet been released so we are unable to be exact about who is affected or when….more news as we get it!