Who needs a Permit?

In accordance with the Emissions Trading Regulations S.I. 490 of 2012 no person shall carry out an activity listed in Schedule 1 at an installation resulting in emissions specified therein except under and to the extent authorised by a greenhouse gas emissions permit issued by the Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to the Regulations.

You are strongly advised to carefully read the EU Guidance on Interpretation of Annex I of the EU ETS Directive, along with Ireland’s S.I. 490 of 2012, and any updates thereafter.

Remember, if you carry out a regulated activity without a permit you are guilty of an offence under the Regulations. You must apply for a permit before you begin your regulated activities.

  

If you are still not sure if the regulations apply to you, please contact your regulator at ghgpermit@epa.ie.

 

The scope of the ETS for Phase III (2013-2020) for stationary installations

The Directive 2009/29/EC amending  Directive 2003/87/EC, has extended the scope of the EU ETS. 

 

Criteria for Eligibility;

1. Combustion of fuels in installations with a total rated thermal input exceeding 20 MW (except in installations for the incineration of hazardous or municipal waste)

OR

2. Production capacities exceeded for the associated activities listed below in Annex I

OR

3. Activities performed in Annex I below where no thresholds are specified

 

SCHEDULE 1

Categories of Activities

1. Installations or parts of installations used for research, development and testing of new products and processes and installations exclusively using biomass are not covered by these Regulations.

2. The thresholds values given below generally refer to production capacities or outputs. Where several activities falling under the same category are carried out in the same installation, the capacities of such activities are added together.

3. When the total rated thermal input of an installation is calculated in order to decide upon its inclusion in the Community scheme, the rated thermal inputs of all technical units which are part of it, in which fuels are combusted within the installation, are added together. These units could include all types of boilers, burners, turbines, heaters, furnaces, incinerators, calciners, kilns, ovens, dryers, engines, fuel cells, chemical looping combustion units, flares, and thermal or catalytic post-combustion units. Units with a rated thermal input under 3 MW and units which use exclusively biomass shall not be taken into account for the purposes of this calculation. "Units using exclusively biomass" includes units which use fossil fuels only during start-up or shut-down of the unit.

4. If a unit serves an activity for which the threshold is not expressed as total rated thermal input, the threshold of this activity shall take precedence for the decision about the inclusion in the Community scheme.

5. When the capacity threshold of any activity in this Schedule is found to be exceeded in an installation, all units in which fuels are combusted, other than units for the incineration of hazardous or municipal waste, shall be included in the greenhouse gas emission permit.

 

Schedule 1 - Categories of activities
ActivitiesGreenhouse Gases
Combustion of fuels in installations with a total rated thermal input exceeding 20 MW (except in installations for the incineration of hazardous or municipal waste) Carbon dioxide
Refining of mineral oil Carbon dioxide
Production of coke Carbon dioxide
Metal ore (including sulphide ore) roasting or sintering, including pelletisation Carbon dioxide
Production of pig iron or steel (primary or secondary fusion) including continuous casting, with a capacity exceeding 2.5 tonnes per hour Carbon dioxide
Production or processing of ferrous metals (including ferro-alloys) where combustion units with a total rated thermal input exceeding 20 MW are operated. Processing includes, inter alia, rolling mills,re-heaters, annealing furnaces, smitheries, foundries, coating and pickling Carbon dioxide
Production of primary aluminium Carbon dioxide and perfluorocarbons
Production of secondary aluminium where combustion units with a total rated thermal input exceeding 20 MW are operated Carbon dioxide
Production or processing of non-ferrous metals, including production of alloys, refining, foundry casting, etc., where combustion units with a total rated thermal input (including fuels used as reducing agents)exceeding 20 MW are operated Carbon dioxide
Production of cement clinker in rotary kilns with a production capacity exceeding 500 tonnes per day or in other furnaces with a production capacity exceeding 50 tonnes per day Carbon dioxide
Production of lime or calcination of dolomite or magnesite in rotary kilns or in other furnaces with a production capacity exceeding 50 tonnes per day Carbon dioxide
Manufacture of glass including glass fibre with a melting capacity exceeding 20 tonnes per day Carbon dioxide
Manufacture of ceramic products by firing, in particular roofing tiles, bricks, refractory bricks, tiles, stoneware or porcelain, with a production capacity exceeding 75 tonnes per day Carbon dioxide
Manufacture of mineral wool insulation material using glass, rock or slag with a melting capacity exceeding 20 tonnes per day Carbon dioxide
Drying or calcination of gypsum or production of plaster boards and other gypsum products, where combustion units with a total rated thermal input exceeding 20 MW are operated Carbon dioxide
Production of pulp from timber or other fibrous materials Carbon dioxide
Production of paper or cardboard with a production capacity exceeding 20 tonnes per day Carbon dioxide
Production of carbon black involving the carbonisation of organic substances such as oils, tars, cracker and distillation residues, where combustion units with a total rated thermal input exceeding 20 MW are operated Carbon dioxide
Production of nitric acid Carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide
Production of adipic acid Carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide
Production of glyoxal and glyoxylic acid Carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide
Production of ammonia Carbon dioxide
Production of bulk organic chemicals by cracking, reforming, partial or full oxidation or by similar processes, with a production capacity exceeding 100 tonnes per day Carbon dioxide
Production of hydrogen (H2) and synthesis gas by reforming or partial oxidation with a production capacity exceeding 25 tonnes per day Carbon dioxide
Production of soda ash (Na2CO3) and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) Carbon dioxide
Capture of greenhouse gases from installations covered by this Directive for the purpose of transport and geological storage in a storage site permitted under Directive 2009/31/EC Carbon dioxide
Transport of greenhouse gases by pipelines for geological storage in a storage site permitted under Directive 2009/31/EC Carbon dioxide
Geological storage of greenhouse gases in a storage site permitted under Directive 2009/31/EC Carbon dioxide