Large Combustion Plants Directive

HC Deb 29 March 2004 vol 419 cc1202-3W

Paddy Tipping

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether in the event that the Government choose to implement the large combustion plants directive (LCPD) through a national plan approach her Department will seek amendments to the Integrated Pollution Preventative and Control (IPPC) Directive to allow emission limits to be met via the trading of S02, NOx and dust emission allowances in place of the IPPC's existing requirements to meet the LCPD's emission limit values. [162403]

Mr. Morley

[holding answer 23 March 2004]: The LCPD applies without prejudice to the IPPC Directive. That means that large combustion plants subject to the IPPC Directive will each have emission limit values (ELVs) set on the basis of the application of best available techniques (BAT) for dealing with pollution. Those ELVs may thus be tighter than those set in the LCPD but cannot be less stringent.

In its response¹ to a June 2003 communication on IPPC from the European Commission, the Government urged a further amendment of the IPPC Directive, along the lines of that already advanced in the "Emissions Trading" Directive², to facilitate greater potential for emissions trading for other pollutants.

¹ Available at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/ppc/cipp.htm.

² Directive 2003/87/EC establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the community and amending Council Directive 96/6I/EC.

Paddy Tipping

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the emission limit values under the large combustion plants directive apply to existing coal-fired power stations operating under a National Emission Reduction Plan. [162404]

Mr. Morley

[holding answer 23 March 2004]: If the option chosen to implement the revised large combustion plants directive for combustion plants with a rated thermal input equal or greater than 50MW and licensed before 1 July 1987 ('existing plants) is a National Emission Reduction Plan, these plants would not be subject to the emission limit values specified in the directive. However, the total emissions of all 'existing' plants in the UK would be limited to a pre-determined level (a 'bubble'). The size of the 'bubble' for each pollutant (sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and dust) would be calculated as the sum of the emissions when the emission limit values are applied to each existing plant, averaged over the 5-year period 1996 to 2000. This is explained in more detail in chapter three of the Department's Consultation Paper on the implementation of the revised large combustion plant directive published in June 2003.