1.During the period from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2023, combustion plants may be exempted from compliance with the emission limit values referred to in Article 30(2) and with the rates of desulphurisation referred to in Article 31, where applicable, and from their inclusion in the transitional national plan referred to in Article 32 provided that the following conditions are fulfilled:
(a)the operator of the combustion plant undertakes, in a written declaration submitted by 1 January 2014 at the latest to the competent authority, not to operate the plant for more than 17 500 operating hours, starting from 1 January 2016 and ending no later than 31 December 2023;
(b)the operator is required to submit each year to the competent authority a record of the number of operating hours since 1 January 2016;
(c)the emission limit values for sulphur dioxides, nitrogen oxides and dust set out in the permit for the combustion plant applicable on 31 December 2015, pursuant in particular to the requirements of Directives 2001/80/EC and 2008/1/EC, shall at least be maintained during the remaining operational life of the combustion plant. Combustion plants with a total rated thermal input of more than 500 MW firing solid fuels, which were granted the first permit after 1 July 1987, shall comply with the emission limit values for nitrogen oxides set out in Part 1 of Annex V; and
(d)the combustion plant has not been granted an exemption as referred to in Article 4(4) of Directive 2001/80/EC.
2.At the latest on 1 January 2016, each Member State shall communicate to the Commission a list of any combustion plants to which paragraph 1 applies, including their total rated thermal input, the fuel types used and the applicable emission limit values for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and dust. For plants subject to paragraph 1, Member States shall communicate annually to the Commission a record of the number of operating hours since 1 January 2016.
3.In case of a combustion plant being, on 6 January 2011, part of a small isolated system and accounting at that date for at least 35 % of the electricity supply within that system, which is unable, due to its technical characteristics, to comply with the emission limit values referred to in Article 30(2), the number of operating hours referred to in paragraph 1(a) of this Article shall be 18 000, starting from 1 January 2020 and ending no later than 31 December 2023, and the date referred to in paragraph 1(b) and paragraph 2 of this Article shall be 1 January 2020.
4.In case of a combustion plant with a total rated thermal input of more than 1 500 MW which started operating before 31 December 1986 and fires indigenous solid fuel with a net calorific value of less than 5 800 kJ/kg, a moisture content greater than 45 % by weight, a combined moisture and ash content greater than 60 % by weight and a calcium oxide content in ash greater than 10 %, the number of operating hours referred to in paragraph 1(a) shall be 32 000.