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Technical Guidance on Best Available Technique for Anaerobic Digestion - Consultation coming soon.
 
The EA’s interim technical guidance on AD will be out for consultation soon (in the next few weeks). The REA's Organics Recycling and Biogas sector groups will circulate this guidance to members when it is published.
 
Based on literature review and feedback from an earlier industry consultation, the interim technical guidance will be used until a post-Spring 2013 consultation version supersedes it.  We anticipate that the consultation will run for 6 weeks and that industry, AHVLA, trade bodies and other stakeholders will be invited to respond.  The EA will emphasise that any requests for changes be evidence based and supported by peers, not just opinion. 
 
After the consultation closes, the EA will produce a Consultation Response Document (list of comments and EA responses to the substantive issues) and a finalised version of the guidance.
 
Background
 
The current UK regulatory framework covers both the AD plant and the energy recovery plant which utilises the biogas. Under the new Environmental Permitting Amendment Regulations 2012, the classification for the regulation of AD is now solely based upon the AD treatment capacity.  Under the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED), which will be implemented in 2013, larger plants will be treated as installations as opposed to waste operations. Whilst waste operations are required to apply "all appropriate measures”, there is a need for the waste industry to apply the principles of BAT to all operations.
 
The Environment Agency identified that the development of a guidance document for AD which provides concise information on what represents BAT is required and that it should assist in:
• Building institutional capacity of an understanding of AD design, development, delivery and operation to meet the increasing number of proposed and delivered AD facilities
• Informing Environment Agency Officers and regulators on regulatory requirements and the implications of the IED as it applies to AD.

This guidance is supported by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). The AD Technical Guidance is based on established practical and reliable evidence and is intended to provide advice and guidance to a wide range of stakeholders.
 
Scope of the Guidance

This guidance is restricted to AD activities that are regulated as part of the Environmental Permitting Regulations including;
• Small Scale AD treatment processes from agricultural sources that are covered by an exemption;
• Centralised AD (CAD) treatment processes of source segregated food waste and non waste feedstocks from agricultural and non-agricultural sources.
 
This guidance is also only directly applicable to anaerobic digestion treatment operations taking place in England and Wales, although it is considered that the best practice standards provided are applicable throughout the UK. 
 
Webpage published: 19th March 2013.  
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