Find out if your facility requires an environmental permit and, if so, which type.
Operators of gasification, liquefaction and refining activities will normally require an environmental permit to carry out any activities described in Chapter 1.2 of Schedule 1 of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 [SI (2007) No. 3538].
The permit may be issued from the Environment Agency or Local Authority.
For Environment Agency regulated and permitted activities, this chapter includes:
- Refining gas where this is likely to involve the use of 1,000 or more tonnes of gas a year;
- Reforming natural gas;
- Operating coke ovens;
- Coal or lignite gasification;
- Producing gas from oil or other carbonaceous material or from mixtures thereof;
- Purifying or refining any product of any of the above activities or converting it;
- Refining mineral oils;
- The loading, unloading, handling or storage of, or the physical, chemical or thermal treatment of:
(i) crude oil;
(ii) stabilised crude petroleum;
(iii) crude shale oil;
(iv) where related to another activity described in this paragraph, any associated gas or condensate;
(v) emulsified hydrocarbons intended for use as a fuel.
- The further refining, conversion or use (otherwise than as a fuel or solvent) of the product of either of the two activities, immediately above, in the manufacture of a chemical;
- Activities involving the pyrolysis, carbonisation, distillation, liquefaction, gasification, partial oxidation, or other heat treatment of:
(i) coal (other than the drying of coal);
(ii) lignite;
(iii) oil;
(iv) other carbonaceous material; or
(v) mixtures thereof, otherwise than with a view to making charcoal.
- Odorising natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas.
Further information is given in Regulatory Guidance Series No 2. Understanding the meaning of regulated facility, which you will find on our regulatory guidance page:
How to apply for a permit
The majority of gasification, liquefaction and refining activities will require a bespoke environmental permit. However, certain operations may be eligible for a low impact installation permit. The application form contains the qualifying criteria for the low impact installations. You can view this on our application forms and guidance page:
