EPOPRA and Pollution Inventory
Environmental Protection Operator and Pollution Risk Assessment (EPOPRA) is a method introduced by the Environment Agency for operators under IPPC (now known as EP in England and Wales). It is used to determine the cost of an application and the annual charges. The principle is that a company which scores poorly and is seen to be a greater pollution risk will merit more monitoring effort from the agency, and so will pay more.
The charge applied by the EA is determined by four factors:
1. Type of process
2. Location of site
3. Quantity and quality of emissions
4. Operator performance
The operator will have very little control over the first two factors, though they will be a consideration when setting up a new business. The quantity and quality of emissions are something that can be controlled, and IPPC/EP seeks to minimise all types of emissions, by implementation of Best Available Techniques (BAT). The reporting of substances emitted to air, watercourse, sewer and land can initially be a complex operation.
Operator performance has a considerable influence on the charge and applicants need to be able to demonstrate that they have systems in place that will handle training, emergencies, maintenance and overall environmental management.
The Pollution Inventory is an annual report which must be submitted to the regulator detailing how much of various polluting substances have been emitted to air, water and land. It is a table very similar to part of the information submitted under EPOPRA.
Setting up and maintaining the procedures needed to score well in operator performance is something that Andrew Vevers can help you with.
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