§ Lord Sutherland of Houndwoodasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the consequences for the environment of the restrictions placed upon the use of reprocessed fuel oil by the European Waste Incineration Directive. [HL642]
§ Lord WhittyGiven that reprocessed fuel oil is produced from waste oil and remains waste until burnt as fuel, installations burning it have to be capable of complying with the stringent emission limits and other operating requirements specified in the Waste Incineration Directive (2000/76/EC) which are intended to prevent or limit as far as practicable negative effects on the environment from the incineration of waste.
If operators of installations currently burning reprocessed fuel oil conclude that their installations do not meet those requirements, they have the option either of making improvements or of switching to a non-waste alternative fuel.
117WAIf they opt to switch, their installations generally will be subject to regulation under the Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Regulations 2000 (or corresponding instruments in Scotland and Northern Ireland). Those regulations cover combustion installations with a rated thermal input of 20 megawatts or more and roadstone coating plants which are currently the main users of reprocessed fuel oil. The regulations require emission limits and other operating requirements to be set by the regulator for each installation based upon the application of best available techniques for pollution control and taking into account the technical characteristics of the installation, its location and the local environmental conditions.
§ Lord Sutherland of Houndwoodasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has carried out an environmental impact assessment of the consequences of stopping the reprocessing of used oils. [HL643]
§ Lord WhittyThere are no plans to prevent the processing of waste oil. The Government continue to monitor the decisions by current processors of waste oil in the light of the requirements of the Waste Incineration Directive.