Guidance

Medium combustion plant and specified generator permits: how to comply

The monitoring, record keeping and reporting you must do and how you’ll be regulated.

• From: Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Welsh Government
• Published: 15 July 2019
• Last updated: 22 July 2024 — See all updates

Applies to England and Wales

• Guidance for Northern Ireland
• Guidance for Scotland

You must be able to demonstrate your medium combustion plant (MCP) or specified generator emissions are protecting air quality.

For your MCP or specified generator you must:

• hold the correct environmental permit by the required deadline
• meet the conditions of that permit by the compliance date

If your combustion plant generates electricity both the MCP and, or specified generator regulations may apply to your plant. You must make sure you’re complying with the correct regulations. If both apply, you must meet the stricter controls by the earliest deadline.

For mobile MCPs, the owner is responsible for complying with the permit. This includes:

• maintenance and monitoring
• reporting and notifying

If you already have or you need an environmental permit for your installation, and it has a MCP or specified generator, see how to meet the requirements for:

• an Industrial Emissions Directive chapter 2 installation
• a Part B section 1.1 or 5.1 installation.

Monitoring requirements

Operators must test emissions from each unit (unless the permit has a different condition) to demonstrate compliance with emission limits.

Read the monitoring requirements for MCP – when you must start and the frequency.

The permit will specify the monitoring method you must use. Usually:

• low risk standard rules permits and simple bespoke permits require you to use the monitoring method set out in Monitoring stack emissions: low risk MCPs and specified generators
• complex bespoke permits require you to verify emissions using Environment Agency’s Monitoring Certification Scheme – MCERTS

Records and reporting

You must keep records and report to the regulators as set out in the permit.

When you first get a permit for your plant, you’ll normally be required to send monitoring returns. These must show compliance with the emission limit values (ELVs). The frequency after this will be specified in the permit conditions.

You must keep records of the plant operation for at least 6 years.

Changes to operations

You must notify the regulator immediately of:

• any non-compliance event and ensure compliance is restored within the shortest possible time
• changes to the combustion plant which could affect the applicable ELVs

For example, if an incident occurs.

Change a bespoke permit

England

Use the Environment Agency’s guidance on how to change, transfer or cancel your bespoke permit.

Wales

Check the Natural Resources Wales guide on how to apply to vary (change) a permit for installations.

Change a standard rules permit

England

If you want to:

• transfer, cancel or remove plant email MCPD-application@environment-agency.gov.uk to ask for the relevant application forms
• add plant to your existing permit that still meets the criteria – complete the application form and pay the relevant charge
• add plant to your existing permit that will not meet the criteria – you will need to apply for a simple or complex bespoke permit and complete the part B2.5 application form and combustion plant list

Wales

Standard rule permits are no longer available in Wales. Check the Natural Resources Wales guide on how to apply to make changes to an existing permit.

How you’ll be regulated

The regulators will assess compliance by doing:

• desk based inspections
• site inspections

The regulators will use the monitoring returns you submit to assess compliance.

If you do not comply

The regulators can require you to suspend plant operation if your MCP or specified generator fails to comply with ELVs and causes significant damage to air quality.

If non-compliance continues the regulators may take enforcement action against you. See the:

• Environment Agency enforcement and sanctions policy
• Natural Resources Wales enforcement and prosecutions policy

Published 15 July 2019
Last updated 22 July 2024 + show all updates

1. 22 July 2024

   Added that standard rules permits are no longer available in Wales. Added a link to the Natural Resources Wales guidance on how to change an existing permit.

2. 27 March 2023

   ‘Monitoring requirements’: For low risk standard rule permits and simple bespoke permits use the ‘Monitoring stack emissions: low risk MCPs and specified generators’. ‘Records and reporting’: When you first get a permit for your plant you will normally be required to send monitoring returns. These must show compliance with the emission limit values (ELVs). Clarified how to ‘Change a standard rules permit’.

3. 15 July 2019

   First published.