The Medium Combustion Plant Directive (MCPD) seeks to reduce air pollution by controlling emissions from medium combustion plants (MCPs), which include both generators (with a rated thermal input between 0 – 50 MW) and boilers (with a rated thermal input between 1 - 50 MW).
The Government implemented the MCPD’s requirements using a Statutory Instrument (SI), which completed its passage through Parliament on 24th January. The SI will come into force shortly.
- The SI affects only England and Wales. Plants in Scotland are subject to different legislation.*
- New plants will be affected from 20th December 2018.
- Existing sites will need to comply with the legislation by 2025 or 2030, with the exact compliance deadline depending on the size and run hours of the plant (larger plants must comply sooner than smaller plants).
However, generators who win contracts in the Capacity Market T-1 and T-4 auctions in January and February this year must meet the new obligations by 1st January 2019. This also applies to new balancing services contracts (with the National Grid).
Back-up generators that run for less than 50 hours per year are exempt from the regulations unless they’re providing balancing services or participating in the Capacity Market, in which case compliance is required.
Flexitricity will support all our Energy Partners throughout this process. We will run a webinar in February where we will discuss the implications of the legislation and provide step-by-step, detailed guidance on compliance. The date will be announced shortly. In the meantime, if you require any assistance please contact your account manager who will be happy to help – call 0131 221 8100.
*The implementation of the MCPD in Scotland was dealt with using different legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament. In Scotland, generators that run for less than 500 hours are exempt. However, this might change in the future.