Atmospheric Emissions Permit

Introduction

The Integrated Environmental Authorization (AAI) is a resolution that allows the exploitation of all or part of an industrial facility under certain conditions in Spain. It is defined in article 3 of Law 16/2002 (IPPC Law), of July 1, as "the resolution of the competent body of the Autonomous Community in which the installation is located, which allows, for the sole purposes of the protection of the environment and people's health, to operate all or part of an installation, under certain conditions designed to guarantee that it complies with the object and provisions of this Law."

The AAI brings together various authorizations that companies had to request separately:

Its objective is to protect the environment as a whole, applying the principles of environmental prevention and control in an integrated way, in order to prevent the transfer of pollution from one environment to another. To this end, it specifically imposes limit values for each facility in all environmental vectors (atmosphere, water, noise, waste, soil...), as well as monitoring plans in this regard.

Annex 1 of Law 16/2002 contains a list that defines the types of activities and minimum production capacities that make it mandatory to request an AAI. Existing facilities had to request authorization before January 1, 2007, for new facilities it is mandatory to request it before construction, assembly, operation or transfer. The competent body has a period of 10 months to decide on the granting.

This permit will establish the environmental conditions that will be required for the operation of the facilities and will specify the limit values for the emission of polluting substances, which will be based on the best available techniques, all taking into consideration the technical characteristics of the facility, its geographical location and the local environmental conditions.

To facilitate the application of the above measures, an information exchange system is established between the European Commission and the Member States on the main polluting emissions and the sources responsible for them and on the best available techniques. Commission Implementing Decision 2012/119/EU establishes the rules on this exchange of information, known as the "Seville process" and on the preparation of reference documents on the best available techniques (BAT), called BREF&action=edit&redlink=1 "Best Available Techniques Reference Document (BREF) (not yet drawn up)").

Background

Atmospheric Emissions Permit

Introduction

The AAI brings together various authorizations that companies had to request separately:

Background

Since the first environmental Directive was approved in 1967, the protection and conservation of the environment has been one of the main concerns of the European Community, to such an extent that it has ended up being incorporated into the Treaties as a true community policy, whose main objective is prevention, in accordance with the provisions of the successive community action programs on the environment and sustainable development.

One of the most ambitious actions that have been launched in the European Union, for the application of the principle of prevention in the operation of the most polluting industrial facilities, has been the approval of Council Directive 96/61/EC, of September 24, relating to prevention and integrated control of pollution, through which measures are established to avoid, or at least reduce, waste and emissions from these activities in the atmosphere, water and soil.

The incorporation into the Spanish internal legislation of the aforementioned Directive 96/61/EC is carried out, on a basic basis, through Law 16/2002, of July 1, on the prevention and integrated control of pollution, whose precepts have the character of basic state legislation. This law has been developed by Royal Decree 508/2007, of April 20, which regulates the provision of information on emissions of the E-PRTR Regulation and integrated environmental authorizations, and by Royal Decree 509/2007, of April 20, which approves the Regulation for the development and execution of Law 16/2002, of July 1, on the integrated prevention and control of pollution.

In order to respond to the need for public health and environmental improvements, ensuring technological innovation, the European Union has approved a new Directive on this matter, Directive 2010/75/EU, of the European Parliament and of the Council, of November 24, on industrial emissions, which has introduced various modifications to the integrated pollution prevention and control legislation.

These modifications, which include the new Directive 2010/75/EU, have been incorporated into the Spanish legal system through Law 5/2013, of June 11, which modifies Law 16/2002 and Law 22/2011, and Royal Decree 815/2013, of October 18, which approves the Industrial Emissions Regulation.

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Atmospheric Emissions Permit

Introduction

Background

Atmospheric Emissions Permit

Introduction

Background