Stationary Source Emission Limit Project (SPAELP)
An Emission Limit Project must be prepared by companies that carry out one or more activities resulting in significant emissions of pollutants into the air. For obtaining A and B category permits for polluting activities, and sometimes already at the initial environmental impact assessment or during the development of technical specifications, a Stationary Source Emission Limit Project (SPAELP) is usually required first. To obtain a C category certificate, the emission limit project is only required for combustion plants with a thermal input of 1 MW or more and with a chimney height below 10 meters.
How is an Emission Limit Project developed?
The Emission Limit Project for stationary pollution sources must include calculations of the maximum air emissions that may occur when the company operates at the maximum capacity specified in the polluting activity permit.
The Emission Limit Project is developed in accordance with the requirements of Cabinet Regulation No. 182.
To develop an Emission Limit Project, the expert must first become familiar with the technological process of the planned activity and assess in which processes emissions of pollutants into the air may occur.
Then, the information necessary for the development of the emission project must be compiled – what are the sources of air emissions. These may include, for example:
- chimneys of combustion plants (boilers);
- ventilation outlets of production facilities;
- transfer or storage areas for bulk materials.
The physical characteristics of the emission sources must be identified:
- height,
- radius,
- area,
- flow rate, etc.
Later, depending on the planned production capacity, the operating duration and dynamics of each emission source are determined. Then, according to specified methodologies, the characteristic emissions of each emission source are calculated, as well as the maximum emission volume for each of them.
Finally, in order to ensure that pollutant concentrations outside the production site do not exceed the values set in Cabinet Regulation No. 1290, dispersion modeling of pollutants must be performed.
Pollutant Dispersion Modeling
After the emissions at the “chimney outlet” have been calculated in the Stationary Source Emission Limit Project, it must be ensured that pollution limit values are not exceeded outside the company’s premises.
PPollutant dispersion calculations are performed using the ARMOD View software (developed by Lakes Environmental, perpetual web license AER0008163). This software complies with the requirements set out in Cabinet Regulation No. 182 “Regulations on the Development of Emission Limit Projects for Stationary Pollution Sources,” and its use has been approved by the State Environmental Service.
Dispersion modeling takes into account:
- the topography and development of the area;
- local weather conditions;
- background pollution.
If, according to the dispersion results, the concentration of any pollutant reaches 70% of the air quality standard, a more in-depth analysis — a sensitivity analysis — must be conducted. In the sensitivity analysis, the changes in pollutant dispersion results are examined using three years of accumulated meteorological data.
