Large Combustion Plants (LCP) opted out under Article 4(4) of Directive 2001/80/EC

Existing large combustion plants, i.e. those permitted before 1 July 1987, may be exempted from compliance with the emission limit values set out in the LCP Directive and from their inclusion in the national emission reduction plan under certain conditions. In order to be eligible for such "opt out", the operator of the plant had to undertake, in a written declaration to the competent authority, submitted by 30 June 2004 at the latest, not to operate the plant for more than 20 000 operational hours starting from 1 January 2008 and ending no later than 31 December 2015. Furthermore, the operator of the plant is required to submit each year to the competent authority a record of the used and unused time allowed for the plants' remaining operational life. According to the LCP Directive (Annex VIII.B), Member States shall report annually from 1 January 2008 onwards to the Commission on those existing plants declared for eligibility under Article 4(4) along with the record of the used and unused time allowed for the plants remaining operational life. More information about the LCP Directive is available on the DG Environment web site at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/air/pollutants/stationary/lcp/legislation.htm

No Opted out LCPs: Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Sweden.