EU carbon rules / Regulations / Medium Combustion Plants Directive
Emission requirements and free allocation conditions for medium combustion plants
This regulation applies to:
The following provisions define its scope:
Article 1 — Subject matter
This Directive lays down rules to control emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and dust into the air from medium combustion plants, and thereby reduce emissions to air and the potential risks to human health and the environment from such emissions. This Directive also lays down rules to monitor emissions of carbon monoxide (CO).
Article 2 — Scope
1. This Directive shall apply to combustion plants with a rated thermal input equal to or greater than 1 MW and less than 50 MW (‘medium combustion plants’), irrespective of the type of fuel they use. 2. This Directive shall also apply to a combination formed by new medium combustion plants pursuant to Article 4, including a combination where the total rated thermal input is equal to or greater than 50 MW, unless the combination forms a combustion plant covered by Chapter III of Directive 2010/75/EU. 3. This Directive shall not apply to: (a) combustion plants covered by Chapter III or Chapter IV of Directive 2010/75/EU; (b) combustion plants covered by Directive 97/68/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (12); (c) on-farm combustion plants with a total rated thermal input less than or equal to 5 MW, that exclusively use unprocessed poultry manure, as referred to in Article 9(a) of Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council (13), as a fuel; (d) combustion plants in which the gaseous products of combustion are used for the direct heating, drying or any other treatment of objects or materials; (e) combustion plants in which the gaseous products of combustion are used for direct gas-fired heating used to heat indoor spaces for the purpose of improving workplace conditions; (f) post-combustion plants designed to purify the waste gases from industrial processes by combustion, and which are not operated as independent combustion plants; (g) any technical apparatus used in the propulsion of a vehicle, ship or aircraft; (h) gas turbines and gas and diesel engines, when used on offshore platforms; (i) facilities for the regeneration of catalytic cracking catalysts; (j) facilities for the conversion of hydrogen sulphide into sulphur; (k) reactors used in the chemical industry; (l) coke battery furnaces; (m) cowpers; (n) crematoria; (o) combustion plants firing refinery fuels alone or with other fuels for the production of energy within mineral oil and gas refineries; (p) recovery boilers within installations for the production of pulp. 4. This Directive shall not apply to research activities, development activities or testing activities relating to medium combustion plants. Member States may establish specific conditions for the application of this paragraph.
| Duty | Trigger | Evidence | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Register medium combustion plants and meet emission limits Combustion plants of 1–50 MW must be registered and comply with emission limit values. | Operating a medium combustion plant | Registration records, emissions monitoring data | Ongoing |
Article 2(1) — scope
This Directive shall apply to combustion plants with a rated thermal input equal to or greater than 1 MW and less than 50 MW (‘medium combustion plants’), irrespective of the type of fuel they use.
Article 6(2) — emission limit values for existing plants
From 1 January 2025, emissions into the air of SO2, NOx and dust from an existing medium combustion plant with a rated thermal input greater than 5 MW shall not exceed the emission limit values set out in Tables 2 and 3 of Part 1 of Annex II. From 1 January 2030, emissions into the air of SO2, NOx and dust from an existing medium combustion plant with a rated thermal input of less than or equal to 5 MW shall not exceed the emission limit values set out in Tables 1 and 3 of Part 1 of Annex II.