§ Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what are the sulphur dioxide emission limits for power stations and incinerators of different types: and what is the frequency of monitoring undertaken of emissions of sulphur dioxide from them;
(2) if he will list the different types of incinerator according to the severity of their regulatory regimes and the criteria used for distinguishing each category.
§ Mr. AtkinsMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has issued statutory guidance, PG notes, to local authorities on the emission limits and monitoring frequency they should specify in individual authorisations for processes subject to air pollution control under part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The chief inspector of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution has issued guidance, IPR notes, to his inspectors covering emission limits and monitoring frequency for processes subject to integrated pollution control under the 1990 Act. The following guidance notes relate to power stations and incinerators and are all in the Library of the House:
- PG1/3(91) boilers and furnaces 20–50MW net rated thermal input
- PG1/4(91) gas turbines 20–50MW net rated thermal input
- PG5/1(92) clinical waste incineration processes under 1 tonne an hour
- PG5/3(91) animal carcase incineration processes under 1 tonne an house
- PG5/4(91) general waste incineration processes under I tonne an house
- PG5/5(91) sewage sludge incineration processes under 1 tonne an house
- IPR1/1 combustion processes with an aggregate net rated thermal input of 50MW or more
- IPR1/2 gas turbines with an aggregate net rated thermal input of 50MW or more
- IPR5/1 merchant and in-house chemical waste incineration
- IPR5/2 clinical waste incineration
- IPR5/3 municipal waste incineration
- IPR5/4 animal carcase incineration
- IPR5/11 sewage sludge incineration
IPR1/2 is under review and I am placing a copy of the latest consultation draft of proposed revisions in the Library. The Secretary of State has directed the chief inspector of HMIP to include in authorisations for new large combustion plant conditions which give effect to the emission limits contained in Council directive 88/609/EEC on the limitation of emissions of certain pollutants into the air from large combustion plants.
Almost all incinerators are controlled under part I of the Environmental Protection Act. The Environmental Protection (Prescribed Processes and Substances) Regulations 1991, SI472, as amended, lay down the criteria for determining whether an incinerator falls to integrated pollution control or air pollution control. A waste disposal licence under part I of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 is required for some aspects of an incineration process falling under air pollution control, as provided by the Disposal of Controlled Waste (Exceptions) Regulations 1991, SI 508, and for incinerators exempt from air pollution control. For incinerators not subject to integrated pollution control, any discharges to controlled waters require the consent of the National Rivers Authority under the Water Resources Act 1991.