Information about Installations

What is an Installation?

The Environmental Permitting Regulations (England and Wales) 2010 were introduced on 6 April 2010, replacing the 2007 Regulations.

In 2007 the Regulations combined the Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) and Waste Management Licensing (WML) regulations. Their scope has since been widened to include water discharge and groundwater activities, radioactive substances and provision for a number of Directives, including the Mining Waste Directive.

Installations are defined in Part 2 of Schedule 1 to the Regulations and lists activities which are the basis of installations. They include Part A(1) activities which we regulate and Part A(2) and Part B activities which are regulated by local authorities. Part A activities are generally but not exclusively activities specified in the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive.

An installation is made up of any stationary technical unit where one or more activities listed in Schedule 1 and any directly associated activities are carried on (Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 1). Installations are defined by the following chapters:

• Chapter 1: Energy: combustion, gasification, liquefaction and refining activities
• Chapter 2: Metals: ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals, surface treating metals and plastic materials
• Chapter 3: Minerals: production of cement and lime, activities involving asbestos, manufacture of glass and glass fibre, other minerals, ceramics
• Chapter 4: Chemicals: organic, inorganic, fertiliser production, plant health products and biocides, pharmaceutical production, explosives production, manufacturing involving carbon disulphide or ammonia, storage in bulk
• Chapter 5: Waste management: incineration and co-incineration of waste, landfills, other forms of disposal of waste, recovery of waste, and production of fuel from waste
• Chapter 6: Other: paper, pulp and board manufacture, carbon, tar and bitumen, coating activities, printing and textile treatments, dyestuffs, timber, rubber, food industries, intensive farming, Solvent Emission Directive

Does your activity require an installations permit? 

If your activity falls under any of these chapters then a permit is required. For further advice please use the contact details below.

General enquiries email - enquiries@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk

General enquiries number 0300 065 3000

Please note

The Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) will replace seven existing Directives (Integrated Pollution Prevention & Control, Large Combustion Plant, Waste Incineration, Titanium Dioxide (three directives) and Solvent Emissions) with a single coherent legislative regime. It will improve environmental benefits and be clearer, removing the ambiguities and inconsistencies across the European Community.

IED will have new requirements on the installations we permit and will lead to a number of new EPR installations. It will also see the possible deregulation of some installations that are uniquely regulated under IPPC in the UK (and not in the rest of Europe).