The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016

CHAPTER 2 Production and processing of metals

SECTION 2.1 Ferrous metals

Interpretation of Section 2.1

1.  In this Section, “ ferrous alloy” means an alloy of which iron is the largest constituent, or equal to the largest constituent, by weight, whether or not that alloy also has a non-ferrous metal content greater than any percentage specified in Section 2.2.

Part A(1)

(a) Roasting or sintering metal ore, including sulphide ore, or any mixture of iron ore with or without other materials.

(b) Producing, melting or refining iron or steel or any ferrous alloy, including continuous casting, except where the only furnaces used are—

(i) electric arc furnaces with a designed holding capacity of less than 7 tonnes, or

(ii) cupola, crucible, reverberatory, rotary, induction, vacuum, electro-slag or resistance furnaces.

(c) Processing ferrous metals and their alloys by using hot-rolling mills with a production capacity of more than 20 tonnes of crude steel per hour.

(d) Loading, unloading or otherwise handling or storing more than 500,000 tonnes in total in any 12-month period of iron ore, except in the course of mining operations, or burnt pyrites.

Part A(2)

(a) Unless falling within Part A(1)(b) of this Section, producing pig iron or steel, including continuous casting, in a plant with a production capacity of more than 2.5 tonnes per hour.

(b) Operating hammers in a forge, the energy of which is more than 50 kilojoules per hammer, where the calorific power used is more than 20 megawatts.

(c) Applying protective fused metal coatings with an input of more than 2 tonnes of crude steel per hour.

(d) Casting ferrous metal at a foundry with a production capacity of more than 20 tonnes per day.

Part B

(a) Unless falling within Part A(1)(b) of this Section, producing pig iron or steel, including continuous casting, in a plant with a production capacity of 2.5 or less tonnes per hour.

(b) Unless falling within Part A(2)(a) or (d) of this Section, producing, melting or refining iron or steel or any ferrous alloy (other than producing pig iron or steel, including continuous casting) using—

(i) one or more electric arc furnaces, none of which has a designed holding capacity of 7 or more tonnes, or

(ii) a cupola, crucible, reverberatory, rotary, induction, vacuum, electro-slag or resistance furnace.

(c) Desulphurising iron, steel or any ferrous alloy.

(d) Heating iron, steel or any ferrous alloy (whether in a furnace or other appliance) to remove grease, oil or any other non-metallic contaminant (including such operations as the removal by heat of plastic or rubber covering from scrap cable), unless—

(i) it is carried on in one or more furnaces or other appliances the primary combustion chambers of which have in aggregate a rated thermal input of less than 0.2 megawatts,

(ii) it does not involve the removal by heat of plastic or rubber covering from scrap cable or of any asbestos contaminant, and

(iii) it is not related to any other activity falling within this Part of this Section.

(e) Unless falling within Part A(1) or Part A(2) of this Section, casting iron, steel or any ferrous alloy from deliveries of 50 or more tonnes of molten metal.

SECTION 2.2 Non-ferrous metals

Interpretation and application of Section 2.2

1.  Part A(1) and Part B do not apply to hand soldering, flow soldering or wave soldering.

Part A(1)

(a) Unless falling within Part A(2) of this Section, producing non-ferrous metals from ore, concentrates or secondary raw materials by metallurgical, chemical or electrolytic activities.

(b) Melting, including making alloys of, non-ferrous metals, including recovered products and the operation of non-ferrous metal foundries where—

(i) the plant has a melting capacity of more than 4 tonnes per day for lead or cadmium or 20 tonnes per day for all other metals, and

(ii) any furnace (other than a vacuum furnace), bath or other holding vessel used in the plant for the melting has a design holding capacity of 5 or more tonnes.

(c) Producing, melting or recovering (whether by chemical means or by electrolysis or by the use of heat) cadmium or mercury or any alloy containing more than 0.05 per cent by weight of either of those metals or both in aggregate.

Part A(2)

(a) Melting, including making alloys of, non-ferrous metals, including recovered products and operating of non-ferrous metal foundries where the plant has a melting capacity of more than 4 tonnes per day for lead or cadmium or 20 tonnes per day for all other metals, and—

(i) no furnace (other than a vacuum furnace), bath or other holding vessel used in the plant for the melting has a design holding capacity of 5 or more tonnes, or

(ii) the plant uses a vacuum furnace of any design holding capacity.

Part B

(a) Melting, including making alloys of, non-ferrous metals (other than tin or any alloy which in molten form contains 50 per cent or more by weight of tin), including recovered products (such as refining or foundry casting) in plant with a melting capacity of 4 tonnes or less per day for lead or cadmium or 20 tonnes or less per day for all other metals.

(b) Heating in a furnace or any other appliance any non-ferrous metal or non-ferrous metal alloy for the purpose of removing grease, oil or any other non-metallic contaminant, including such operations as the removal by heat of plastic or rubber covering from scrap cable, if not related to another activity described in this Part of this Section, unless—

(i) it involves the use of one or more furnaces or other appliances the primary combustion chambers of which have in aggregate a net rated thermal input of less than 0.2 megawatts, and

(ii) it does not involve the removal by heat of plastic or rubber covering from scrap cable or of any asbestos contaminant.

(c) Melting zinc or a zinc alloy in conjunction with a galvanising activity at a rate of 20 or less tonnes per day.

(d) Melting zinc, aluminium or magnesium or an alloy of one or more of these metals in conjunction with a die-casting activity at a rate of 20 or less tonnes per day.

(e) Unless falling within Part A(1) or Part A(2) of this Section, the separation of copper, aluminium, magnesium or zinc from mixed scrap by differential melting.

Interpretation and application of Part B

1.  When determining the extent of an installation carrying on an activity within Part B(e), any location where the associated storage or handling of scrap which is to be heated as part of that activity is carried on, other than a location where scrap is loaded into a furnace, is to be ignored.

2.  In Part B, “ non-ferrous metal alloy” means an alloy which is not a ferrous alloy, as defined in Section 2.1.

SECTION 2.3 Surface treating metals and plastic materials

Part A(1)

(a) Unless falling within Part A(2) of this Section, surface treating metals and plastic materials using an electrolytic or chemical process where the aggregated volume of the treatment vats is more than 30m³.

Part A(2)

(a) Surface treating metals and plastic materials using an electrolytic or chemical process where the aggregated volume of the treatment vats is more than 30m³ and where the activity is carried on at the same installation as one or more activities falling within—

(i) Part A(2) or Part B of Section 2.1,

(ii) Part A(2) or Part B of Section 2.2, or

(iii) Part A(2) or Part B of Section 6.4.

Part B

(a) Any process for the surface treatment of metal which is likely to result in the release into air of any acid-forming oxide of nitrogen and which does not fall within Part A(1) or Part A(2) of this Section.