Does your fabricated metal product business require a PPC permit?

Your business may require a pollution prevention and control (PPC) permit from your environmental regulator or local council. For example, you will need a permit if your business has a production capacity above a certain level or if you use certain hazardous substances.

If your business is an installation or mobile plant you will need a pollution prevention and control (PPC) permit from your environmental regulator.

An installation is a stationary technical unit, such as a self-contained building, permanent structure or fixed plant, used for listed activities.

A mobile plant is plant that can be moved and is used for listed activities.

Listed activities

These are industrial, waste or intensive farming activities that have an impact on the environment and are listed in the PPC regulations. They are split into categories:

  • Part A, B and C in Northern Ireland
  • Part A and B in Scotland

Listed activities that might be carried out by fabricated metal product businesses include:

Permit Categories
Listed activity Northern Ireland Scotland

Carrying out surface treatment works using an electrolytic or chemical activity, where the combined volume of the treatment vats is more than 30m3

Part A

Part A

Surface treating substances, objects or products using organic solvents in a plant with a consumption capacity of more than 150kg per hour or more than 200 tonnes per year

Part A

Part A

Heating ferrous and non-ferrous metals or alloys to remove grease, oil or any other non-metallic contaminant in furnaces or appliances which have a combined rated thermal input of 0.2 megawatts or more

Part C

Part B

Surface treating metal that may release any acid-forming oxide of nitrogen into the air and which does not fall within Part A

Part B

Part B

Applying 400 tonnes or more of paint or other coating material in solid form

Part B

N/A

Spraying 400 tonnes or more of any metal coating in molten form

Part B

N/A

Processes that could release particulate matter or volatile organic compounds into the air by applying:
- 20 tonnes or more/year of any paint or other coating material in a solid form
- 20 tonnes or more/year of any metal coatings sprayed on in molten form
- 5 tonnes or more/year of organic solvent

Part C

Part B

Cleaning surfaces using one tonne or more per year of a volatile organic compound (VOC) classified as a carcinogen, mutagen or toxic to reproduction (with Risk Phrases R45, R46, R49, R60 or R61) and any halogenated VOCs with possible irreversible effects (Risk Phrase R40)

Part C

Part B

Cleaning surfaces using two tonnes or more per year of any other VOC

Part C

Part B (unless already covered by Part A)

What you must do

If your installation or mobile plant carries out listed activities you will need a permit from your environmental regulator.

Permits and regulators for listed activities

Activity category Northern Ireland Scotland

Part A

PPC permit regulated by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA)

PPC permit regulated by SEPA

Part B

PPC permit regulated the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA)

PPC permit regulated by SEPA

Part C

PPC permit regulated by local council

N/A

Contact your environmental regulator

You should contact your environmental regulator or local council for further information about listed activities. NetRegs does not provide detailed guidance on Part A activities.

If you are unsure whether you are affected by PPC, contact your environmental regulator or local council.

How to apply for a permit

Return to the menu of the PPC Permits by sector environmental topic