EPA - Ireland's Environment, An Integrated Assessment - 2020

Ireland’s Environment – An Integrated Assessment 2020 Large Combustion Plants Improvements in emissions from large combustion plants, including the energy sector, in recent years can be attributed to increased regulation and tighter emission limit values. Large combustion plants are typical backbone infrastructures producing electricity and/or heat across industrial sectors, including in electricity supply, oil refineries, food and some chemical industries. Across Europe, these facilities contribute to 47 per cent of sulphur dioxide emissions, 15 per cent of nitrogen oxide emissions and 2 per cent of dust (as total suspended particles) emissions. (EEA, 2020a). Since 2004, emissions from large combustion plants in the 28 EU Member States have decreased: by 86 per cent for sulphur dioxide, 59 per cent for nitrogen oxides and 84 per cent for dust (as total suspended particles) (EEA, 2020b). In an Irish context, there have also been considerable improvements in emissions from the energy sector in the past few years. These improvements are mainly attributed to increased regulation under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and the IED, with associated tighter emission limit values requiring improved abatement, changes in fuel mix and improvements in energy efficiency (Figure 10.9). In parallel, there has been a significant reduction (over 95%) in emissions of heavy metals (cadmium and nickel) to air from the sector in the past 10 years. The new BAT conclusions on large combustion plants will become the reference for setting licence/permit conditions in Europe. As well as being more stringent, the new requirements also consider new classes of pollutants, notably mercury, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen fluoride and ammonia. The implementation of the Medium Combustion Plant (MCP) Directive, which recently came into force for plants between 1 and 50 MW, will further reduce emissions of key air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and PM 10 . Figure 10.9  Emissions from the energy sector in Ireland (Source: EPA, 2020) Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2018 2017 0 10.000 20.000 30.000 40.000 50.000 SO 2 NO x PM 2.5 Tonnes per annum EU ETS Phase 1 (2005-2007) LCPD: binding ELVs for all plants from 2008 EU ETS Phase 2 (2008-2012) EU ETS Phase 3 (2013-2020) Anticipation of binding IED limits from 2016 Anticipation of new BREF limits from 2021, MCP Directive 266