The EPA is conducting a survey of the use and management of ODS and F-gases at licensed sites in 2021. A circular letter was sent to the operators of licensed facilities on 5 March 2021 which described the survey and set a deadline for responses on 16 April 2021.
The purpose of this survey is to clarify the extent of use of fluorinated greenhouse gas (F-gas) and Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) across Industrial Emissions (IE), Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) and Waste licensed sites.
This includes establishing the list of equipment at licenced sites that contains F-gas or ODS gas and assessing compliance with the following Regulations:
The inventory is intended to provide a summary of all the equipment on licensed sites that contain F-gases. It can be used as a means of tracking equipment and collating relevant information in relation to both Regulations.
This survey provides a framework for licensees to develop their own site inventory, to review ODS & F-gas operations on-site and to assess their compliance with the Regulations.
The circular letter of 5 March 2021 set out our objectives for the survey:
The results of this survey are intended to establish the status of compliance with the ODS & F-Gas Regulations at licensed sites. In particular, the inventory is to provide:
The survey will also allow us to deliver more effective enforcement of ODS and F-gas regulatory requirements at licensed sites, which will contribute to Ireland meeting our emissions reduction targets.
The deadline for completion of survey returns was 16 April 2021. The responses received are currently being analysed and a national inventory is being created.
Some follow-up contact with licensees is planned to validate the information that has been submitted.
The EPA will use the inventory to further refine our compliance assessment and enforcement programme to assist operators in managing their ODS and F-gas use.
